Supreme Court ruling "fails" to take into account sharp rise in atrocities against SCs -STs, low conviction rate: NCSPA

By A Representative
Strongly reacting to the Supreme Court judgment that the anti-atrocities law has become an instrument to “blackmail” innocent citizens and public servants, the National Coalition for Strengthening SCs and STs (Prevention of Atrocities or PoA) Act () has said that it would dilute "provisions related to anticipatory bail and immediate arrest under the SCs and STs (PoA) Act 1989" as also it's 2016 amendments.
A platform of more than 500 Dalits and Adivasi rights bodies, NCSPA said, "The ruling dilutes the very purpose of the progressive legislation, a legislation meant to protect the marginalized communities from caste based atrocities and discrimination."
Ironically, two years ago, one of the world’s top advocacy groups, Human Rights Watch (HRW), criticized the anti-atrocities law for using want it called “vague and over broad language, expanding restrictions on speech". It particularly raised “concerns over potential misuse", adding, the amendment in 2016 amendments "are problematic from the perspective of freedom of expression.” It is not known if NCSPA objected the HRW view.
HRW said, under Section 3 (1), the amended law bans any expression that “promotes or attempts to promote feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will against members of the SC or the ST” and also any expression that “disrespects any late person held in high esteem by members of SC or ST.” It added, “Disrespectful speech, or expression that promotes negative feelings, however offensive, is not the same as incitement to acts of hostility, discrimination, or violence..."
In its critique of the apex court judgment, NCSPA said, "It is surprising to note that the apex court in its judgment failed to recognize increase in atrocities against Scheduled Castes by 5.5% in 2016 (40,801) over 2015 (38,670) and increase atrocities against Scheduled Tribes by 4.7% in 2016 (6,568) over 2015 (6,276)."
Noting that the apex court also failed to recognize the low disposal rate by courts in the recent years, NCSPA said in its statement, signed by its convener Dr VA Ramesh Nathan, said that total of 1,44,979 cases of atrocities against SCs and 23,408 cases of atrocities against STs came for trial, and out of these in only 14,615 cases, trials were completed for the cases against SCs and 2,895 cases for STs."
" At the end of the year 89.6 % of cases for SCs and 87.1% for STs remained pending trial", NCSPA said, adding, "The apex court, instead of recognizing the low conviction, 25.7% for SCs and 20.8% for STs for the year 2016, and high acquittal at 74.2% for SCs and 79.2% for STs, made its observation on the basis of a small number of cases which found to be false -- 5347 for SCs and 912 for STs..."
NCSPA said, the judgment has also not sought to analyzed such factors like "shoddy investigation, incorrect and biased recording of victims and witnesses statements during investigation, filing of improper chargesheet and undue delay in filing charge sheets, inappropriate support mechanisms to the victims and witnesses by the investigating officers and public prosecutors and, as a whole, by the trial court."
Pointing out that "there are hardly cases where the public servants have been convicted under Section 4 of the anti-atrocities law for the willful neglect of their duties to be performed under the PoA Act", NCSPA said, "We are anguished to note that the highest body of judiciary has totally failed to recognize the overall non-implementation of SCs and STs (PoA) Act."

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

School closures across states raise concerns amid Govt of India claims of improved access

By A Representative A recent report has raised concerns over the closure and merger of government schools in several Indian states, particularly in Bihar, where a significant number of institutions have reportedly been shut down or earmarked for closure.

Beneath the stone: Revisiting the New Jersey mandir controversy

By Rajiv Shah A recent report published in the British media outlet The Guardian , titled “Workers carved the largest modern Hindu temple in the west. Now, some have incurable lung disease,” took me back to my visits to the New Jersey mandir —first in 2022, when it was still under construction, though parts of it were open to visitors, and again in 2024, after its completion.

Health activist group raises concerns over HPV vaccination drive, seeks temporary halt

By A Representative Swasthya Adhikar Manch, a public health advocacy group, has urged the Union government to ensure greater accountability and transparency in the ongoing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, and called for its temporary suspension pending a comprehensive review. In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the group flagged what it described as unresolved concerns surrounding the nationwide rollout of the HPV vaccine, which began on February 28, 2026. The campaign targets 14-year-old girls and involves administering Gardasil, a quadrivalent vaccine intended to protect against certain strains of HPV linked to cervical cancer.

Search This Blog