The department had received several complaints against members, according to the show-cause notice. Writer Imayam (left) and social welfare minister Vanniarasu
The Aug 25 notice, issued by Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO) managing director K Kandasamy, has given members three days to explain why they should not be removed from their posts. The notice also pointed out that no board meeting had been held since Aug 21, 2025.
The department had received several complaints against the members, according to the show-cause notice. In some cases, members were asked to step down, while others voluntarily quit, according to officials familiar with the changes. “The govt wants to get rid of members appointed by DMK govt and replace them with its choice,” the member said. When contacted, Imayam said he had decided to resign the post but declined to elaborate. We are not happy,” he told TOI. Vanniarasu said the govt wanted to reconstitute the commission with activists and revive it to make the statutory body more effective in addressing issues faced by SC/ST people in the state.
With the chairperson’s post vacant, some members were allegedly acting unilaterally, petitions were not being properly inquired into, and there had been misuse of powers and lack of coordination among members. A commission member alleged that the move was politically motivated and aimed at clearing the way for govt to appoint its preferred nominees. Social welfare minister Vanniarasu rejected the allegation of political vendetta and defended the govt’s action. “I respect Imayam as a writer, but he did not discharge his duty as vice-chairperson of the commission. As a minister, I visited the families of victims of caste violence, but the vice-chairperson and members of the commission neither visited them nor conducted any inquiry. They did not submit any report.