Derogatory caste names should not be used in Census, says VCK MP

Published 1 August 2026 · india

Villupuram MP and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) general secretary D. Ravikumar on Friday (July 31, 2026) raised in Parliament the issue of the use of

Villupuram MP and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) general secretary D. Ravikumar on Friday (July 31, 2026) raised in Parliament the issue of the use of derogatory caste names during the Census and in official documents, including caste certificates issued to Scheduled Castes in Tamil Nadu, and appealed to the Union government to direct the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to discontinue the practice.

Raising the issue under Rule 377, Mr. Ravikumar said that members of the Scheduled Caste communities have long opposed the continued use of such derogatory terms in official documents, as their use “dehumanises and stigmatises” entire communities. He added that using such terms with the intent to insult or humiliate members of the Scheduled Castes constitutes an offence under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

“The movement against such forms of nomenclature began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In response to this movement, the Justice Party Government of the Madras Presidency issued a Government Order (G.O. No. 817, Law (General) Department) on 25 March 1922 directing that the use of derogatory terms such as ‘Paraiyan’ and ‘Panchaman’ in official records in the Tamil districts be discontinued and replaced with the caste-neutral term ‘Adi Dravidar’,” said Mr. Ravikumar.

“While the law treats the use of these terms to humiliate Scheduled Castes as an offence, it is contradictory for the government to continue recognising them in official documents,” he added.

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