SC/ST Atrocities Act

The Police in Hyderabad on Monday booked union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and three others for abetting the suicide and also for violations of the SC/ST Atrocities Act following the suicide of a Dalit research scholar of the University of Hyderabad.

This development comes against the backdrop of the Parliament Standing Committee approving of a Bill to strengthen the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, by adding new categories of actions to be treated as offences such as force on SC/ST voters, unlawful occupation of their lands.

Mere acknowledgement of the community status of a victim merits establishment of offence under the Act. Public servants refusing to register complaint or record FIR would also be liable for action. The Bill also calls for setting up of special courts at the district level. The bill was first passed in Lok Sabha in August 2015 and later in Rajya Sabha in December 2015. Now it will go for presidential assent.

Insults, intimidations or injuries to either community persons, prevention of entry to a public place, production of frivolous information against them etc shall merit penal actions in a court of law. The bill seeks to amend parent law i.e. The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

More offences are added to the list such as : (i) Garlanding of SCs and STs with footwear; (ii) Compelling them to do manual scavenging or dispose carry animal or human carcasses; (iii) Abusing SCs/STs in public by caste name; (iv) Disrespecting any deceased SCs/STs person held in high esteem or attempting to promote feelings of ill-will against SCs/STs; and (iv) Threatening or imposing economic and social boycott.

It will be considered as an offence in case of (i) Using acts, words or gestures of a sexual nature against SC/ST woman. (ii) Touching an SC/ST woman intentionally in a sexual manner without her consent (iii) Practice of dedicating an SC/ST women as a devadasi to a temple. It shall be the duty of the state to make arrangements for the protection of victims and their dependents and the witnesses. It also mentions that state should specify a scheme to ensure the implementation of rights of victims and witnesses.