Commission seeks report on refusal to rent marriage hall to SC family in Erode

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has asked the Superintendent of Police, Erode district, to submit an action-taken report regarding a complaint that the owner of a marriage hall in Perundurai had refused to rent out the venue to members of a Scheduled Caste community.

In a complaint to the Commission, Vadivel Raman, founding president of Samuga Needhi Makkal Katchi, stated that on March 3, K. Rani and her family members from Koorapalayam village in Nasiyanur approached the owner of a marriage hall near Anna Silai on Bhavani Road in Perundurai to book the venue for a wedding reception for her 23-year-old son on March 15. However, after learning about their community, the hall owner, Ravi, allegedly refused to allow them to conduct the function.

Based on the complaint, the Perundurai police registered a case under Section 3(1)(zc) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The complainant alleged that Ravi had not been arrested so far and sought the invocation of additional sections, the arrest of the owner, and the sealing of the marriage hall.

In a communication dated March 12, 2026, to the Superintendent of Police, Commission Director S. Ravivarman said that the Commission had received a complaint and had decided to investigate the matter in pursuance of the powers conferred upon it under Article 338 of the Constitution.

The letter asked the police to submit the facts of the case and details of the action taken within 15 days. It also stated that if the Commission did not receive a response, it could issue summons for an appearance before it.