Social justice in the Sri Lankan Tamil society has many regional variations that makes it a daunting task to understand and apply across the spectrum. Besides ethnicity, class and region have been decisive in determining the nature of issues of social justice. Gender oppression, Class oppression & Caste oppression – have all contributed to the injustice prevalent in the Sri Lankan Tamil Society, and hence Social Justice has to be delivered on all the above fronts. Caste prejudices run deep in the form of social identity.

The caste structure among Sri Lankan Tamils stands in significant contrast with Tamil Nadu, and interestingly, the caste hierarchies among the Sinhalese and Tamils are much similar. The dominance of feudal ideology still exists, and caste consciousness still plays a role in electoral politics and social preferences, especially in matrimonial matters. This paper walks through the basics of caste system and structure in Sri Lanka, how these structures are prevalent in the Sri Lankan Tamil society even today, historical insights into the anti-caste movements of Sri Lankan Tamils, and concerns for the future towards the path to Social Justice.