CHENNAI
In the wake of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announcing a commission, headed by retired High Court Judge K.N. Basha, to recommend the State government on the proposed bill against caste and honour-linked hate crimes in State Assembly on Friday, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi Villupuram MP D. Ravikumar and VCK Assembly floor leader and general secretary Sinthanai Selvan, on Saturday said that the DMK government must pass the law against caste and honour-linked hate crimes in the next Assembly session before the State elections due next year.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Ravikumar said that he welcomed the commission to give its recommendations to the State government regarding the bill, but added that the commission has no mandate as on today to submit a report within a specified timeframe. “I welcome the announcement of the commission…such a commission may be necessary to convince various sections of the society and the stakeholders. However, the Commission should be mandated to prepare a bill within three months and the law should be passed in January next year,” he said.
Mr. Ravikumar said that a commission doesn’t need to discuss and deliberate the basics – the merits and demerits of passing the said law. “The National Law Commission has already given a draft law in 2012 and the Supreme Court has given detailed guidelines in the Shakthi Vahini vs Union Government case. The VCK also has given a bill to the State government. I hope that the K.N. Basha Commission is asked to prepare a bill in three months. A commission may be necessary to convince all stakeholders…so I welcome the commission.”
He further recalled several commissions formed in the past, which weren’t fruitful.
“We demanded a law to implement reservations in promotions…which even the neighbouring States, including the BJP-ruled states, have already passed. But, only a Commission was formed. Similarly, a Commission was formed during Kalaignar’s last tenure to look into the issue of Panchami lands. The Madras High Court in 2015 asked the State government to form a panel to look into Panchami lands. The AIADMK government had identified around 2.5 lakh acres. Not even 200 acres have been handed over yet,” he said.
VCK Assembly floor leader Sinthanai Selvan said that he welcomed Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s decision to form a commission after stating in the Assembly that a separate law was not necessary to tackle this specific hate crime.
“It is welcome that he has changed his stance after listening to several progressive voices. He may have thought that a commission was necessary to convince all stakeholders. The VCK has been instrumental in ensuring that the issue remains alive after the Chief Minister’s comments earlier. I am very hopeful that the law will be passed in January,” he said.
Human rights activists and political observers, who have been advocating for such a law, expressed the hope that the State government will not use the Commission as a ploy to further delay the issue until the elections while adding that the DMK alliance could face a pushback from the Scheduled Caste communities if the law was not passed before the elections.
Published – October 19, 2025 01:04 am IST
