The State government was examining all legal possibilities whether it could also approach the Supreme Court with a review petition against the court’s judgement pronounced on March 20 revising certain provisions in the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, A.K. Balan, Minister for SC/ST Welfare and Law, said in the House on Tuesday.
The SC’s March 20 judgement included preventing arbitrary arrests under the Act. Regarding this, the State government had already written to the Centre on March 29, expressing its strong protest and apprehensions.
It said the judgement defeated the very intention of the SC/ST Act and would have far-reaching consequences, especially in northern India where Dalit communities were much discriminated against and harassed, Mr. Balan said.
He was replying to a submission by A.P. Anilkumar, who urged the State government to take a strong stand against the SC judgement. Mr. Anilkumar also demanded that the House passed a resolution to show that the apprehensions of the Dalit communities regarding the SC judgement was shared by civil society also.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the SC judgement had totally diluted the spirit of the SC/ST Act . Even now, SC/ST cases were not being handled diligently by the police, regardless of the party in power.
The SC, by insisting that cases under the Act may be filed only after conducting a preliminary investigation, was denying justice to the Dalits. He said the Opposition would wholeheartedly support any resolution that the House brought up on the issue.
