SC/ST Act: We are not against it, says Supreme Court but refuses to cancel earlier order
Supreme Court
'We are not against the Act at all. But innocents can't be punished on a unilateral version. Why does govt want people to be arrested without verification,' the apex court observes.
The Supreme Court has said that it is not against the SC/ST Act and doesn't want the innocent to be punished.
The court made these observations while hearing Attorney General K K Venugopal's submission during the hearing of Centre's petition of SC/ST Act.
"Those agitating on streets may not have even read our judgment. Vested interests are also involved sometimes. We are only concerned about innocent people being put behind bars. We are not against the Act at all. But innocents can't be punished on a unilateral version. Why does government want people to be arrested without verification," the apex court observes.
Supreme Court asked the lawyers in the case, including the Attorney General, to file a written submission and it will hear the case after 10 days.
The Supreme Court said that the question of a preliminary inquiry before an FIR or a prior permission for the arrest of a public servant comes up only when the charges are framed solely under the SC/ST (PoA) Act. The court said its order neither dilutes the provisions of the said act or affects any other offences charged under other sections of IPC or CrPC.
Earlier, Amid noisy protests in the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the violence that singed large parts of the country on Monday.
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"The government has not diluted the provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act. In fact, we have strengthened the act. We have introduced provisions for the protection of victims, who are already suffered enough. Moreover, if officials are found lacking in their response to a complaint filed by anybody, we want action initiated against them as well," Rajnath Singh said.
Meanwhile, at least nine people were killed in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on Monday, while thousands were detained by the police and hundreds, were left injured as the state and central governments struggled to control the massive Bharat Bandh protests that erupted across the north, west and east India over the Supreme Court’s alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act.