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Supreme Court Reserves order on SC/ST Act
Why in news?
- SC reserved its orders on a review petition filed by the government against a judgment allowing anticipatory bail to persons accused of committing atrocities on people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
- SC in its earlier verdict had reasoned that the anti-atrocities law was misused as a means for blackmail.
More in news
- The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act of 2018nullified the judgment of the Supreme Court.
- The original 1989 Act bars anticipatory bail.
- Several petitions were filed challenging the Amendment Act.
- What are the petitioners contentions
(1) The Petitioners have called the amendments a blunder and a violation of the fundamental right to equality and personal liberty.
(2) What the Govt has to say about the amendments
(3) They were necessary as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes would continue to face the same social stigma, poverty and humiliation.
(4) There was no decrease in the atrocities committed on members of SC/ST communities despite the laws meant to protect their civil rights.
(5) The sad state of affairs was prevalent despite the existence of 195 special courts across 14 States to exclusively try Prevention of Atrocities (PoA) cases.
(6) The SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989 is the least which the country owes to this section of the society who have been denied several civil rights since generations and have been subjected to indignities and humiliations
- Nothing Changes
(1) As per the National Crime Records Bureau statistics, there is no decrease in the crimes against SC/ST members.
(2) The number of cases registered under the PoA in 2014 is 47124, while in 2015 it is 44839 and 47,338 in 2016.
(3) In 2014, 28.8% of the cases were convicted, 71.2% acquittal and 85.3% cases pending.
(4) The next year saw 25.8% convictions, 74.2% acquittals and 87.3% pendency. In 2016, there was 24.9% convictions, 75.1% acquittals and 89.3% pendency.
Source
The Hindu