Minister for Social Justice Vanni Arasu honoring top performers in the Classes 10 and 12 exams, at an event in Chennai on Thursday
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu
The State government should ensure that a separate law is enacted against ‘honour’ killings, said Swaminathan Devadoss, joint managing trustee of People’s Education Trust (PET) and Pro Vice-Chancellor at Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology, in Chennai on Thursday (July 2, 2026).
He was speaking at the felicitation ceremony of Adi Dravidar students who excelled in the recently held board exams for Classes 10 and 12.
Putting forth a slew of other demands to Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu, he said: “In the last two months, there have been 10 cases of ‘honour’ killings. Hence, steps towards making a law against ‘honour’ killings must be expedited.”
He also urged the Minister to widen the scope of the SC/ST Commission, as atrocities against the communities are not limited to just one law.
Speaking at the event, the Minister said, “I have already put forth these demands to the Chief Minister. We will follow up until the demands are met and implemented.”
Pointing out that people face multiple issues today, he said that he is continuing the work that he had been doing before. “I am just continuing the work officially now. I used to submit petitions; now I receive the petitions to ensure they are completed,” he added.
The PET honoured two students from Class 10, S. Sangavi from Cuddalore district and A. Santhosh from Chennai, who scored top marks in the State. Among Class 12 students, V. Rithika and Gokula Madhavan from Cuddalore district were felicitated; they received ₹10,000 each.
“I want to be a chartered financial analyst but I cannot afford the fees for the course. So, I have taken up B.Com for now and hope to land a job afterwards, so I can save up to pursue my dream,” said Rithika, who scored 562 in Class 12.
Other trust members, C. Chellappan and G. Muniraj, also spoke at the event.
Published – July 04, 2026 05:18 pm IST
