SC/ST Act: Petition Filed in Supreme Court Challenging Amendments
The amendment bill, brought in by the Central Government, was passed by the Parliament earlier this month.
New Delhi, August 21: A petition challenging the recent amendments to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, has been filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The amendment, which were brought in by the Central Government, was passed by the Parliament earlier this month.
The Rajya Sabha on August 9, had passed the amendment Bill which reversed the changes made to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 by the Supreme Court.
The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2014 was passed in Lok Sabha on August 4.
The Bill amends certain existing categories and adds new categories of actions to be treated as offences against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and established exclusive special courts to try offences under the Act.
Several members during the debate supported the bill and urged the government to take further steps to protect and prevent atrocities against SCs and STs. Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had congratulated PM Narendra Modi for deciding to move ahead in this direction.
The amendment Bill restores the SC/ST Act in its original form, by annulling the changes made to the law by the Supreme Court through its verdict on March 20.
The apex court order made preliminary inquiry mandatory before the registration of FIR, while also allowing the accused to seek anticipatory bail.
Dalit activists and lawmakers had marked their dissent against the top court order, claiming that it has "diluted" the law enacted to protect the SC, ST communities from atrocities by members of upper castes.
Over a dozen outfits had issued a bandh call on August 9 as the Centre had not moved an ordinance over the past four months to annul the changes made to the Atrocities law by the Supreme Court.
The All India Ambedkar Mahasabha (AIAM), which was organising the bandh, had decided to defer the shutdown after the government passed the amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. After the SC/ST amendment bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on August 9, the bandh was called-off by the groups.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2018 04:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).