{"id":23639,"date":"2025-07-25T11:32:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T06:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=23639"},"modified":"2025-07-25T13:35:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T08:05:10","slug":"scheduled-caste-and-scheduled-tribe-prevention-of-atrocities-act-1989","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/scheduled-caste-and-scheduled-tribe-prevention-of-atrocities-act-1989\/","title":{"rendered":"Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Madras High Court recently held the police cannot conduct preliminary inquiry on receipt of complaints disclosing cognisable offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989 and that the law enforcing agency should straightaway register FIRs against the suspects.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>About Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is an act to <\/span><b>prevent the commission of offences of atrocities against <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the members of the Scheduled Castes <\/span><b>(SCs) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and the Scheduled Tribes <\/span><b>(STs) by persons other than SCs and STs.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It provides for <\/span><b>punishment for offences<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of atrocities committed against SCs and STs.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It authorizes the <\/span><b>Central Government to frame rules<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for carrying out the purpose of the Act.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Act is <\/span><b>implemented by the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which are provided due central assistance under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for effective implementation of the provisions of the Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>In 2015, it was amended<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to <\/span><b>expand offences <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of atrocities and <\/span><b>strengthen legal safeguards for victims and witnesses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The amendments came into force on 26 January 2016.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Offences<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This Act does <\/span><b>not apply to crimes <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">committed<\/span><b> between SCs and STs or between STs and SCs.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are <\/span><b>37 offences <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">included in the Act that involve patterns of behaviour inflicting criminal offences and <\/span><b>breaking the self-respect and esteem of the SCs and STs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> community.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Among these<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are the <\/span><b>denial of economic, democratic, and social rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, as well as the exploitation and abuse of the legal system.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Investigation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>All offences<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> listed in the Act are <\/span><b>cognizable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An investigation of offence committed under the Act <\/span><b>cannot be investigated <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by an officer <\/span><b>not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>investigation should be completed within 30 day<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s, and the <\/span><b>report <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">should be <\/span><b>sent directly to the director of the state police.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Special Courts:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The act clearly states the<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">constitution of special courts<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for hearing cases on atrocities against SCs and STs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the purpose of providing for a speedy trial, the <\/span><b>State Government shall<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>with <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the <\/span><b>concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court, establish in each district a Court of Session to be a Special Court <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exclusively to try the offences under this Act.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The exclusive Special Courts shall <\/span><b>try offences under this Act on a day-to-day basis.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>For every Special Court,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the <\/span><b>State Government shall specify a Public Prosecutor <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or appoint an advocate who has been in practice as an advocate for not less than seven years, <\/span><b>as a Special Public Prosecutor <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for the purpose of conducting cases in that Court.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Punishment:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>minimum punishment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in most cases is <\/span><b>six months of imprisonment,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> while the <\/span><b>maximum is a five-year sentence with a fine.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>In some cases, the minimum is enhanced to one year, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">while the <\/span><b>maximum <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">goes up to <\/span><b>life imprisonment or even a death sentence.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Section 4 of the act deals with <\/span><b>punishment for neglect of duties by a public servant.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> According to this section, if a public servant, <\/span><b>who is not a member of the SC or ST, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deliberately <\/span><b>neglects his duties,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which he should perform under the Act, he is <\/span><b>liable for punishment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with imprisonment up to six months.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Immediate Relief:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995, the <\/span><b>District Magistrate <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or any other Executive Magistrate, <\/span><b>shall make<\/b> <b>arrangements for providing immediate relief in cash or in kind<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or both, <\/span><b>to the victims of atrocity, their family members, and dependents.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\">Such immediate relief <b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">shall also <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">include food, water, clothing, shelter,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">medical aid, transport facilities, and other <\/span><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">essential items necessary for human beings.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/tamil-nadu\/every-scst-complaint-must-lead-to-registration-of-fir-without-any-preliminary-inquiry-orders-madras-high-court\/article69850992.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TH<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 is an act to prevent the commission of offences of atrocities against the members of the SCs and the STs by persons other than SCs and STs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":56743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[21,1798,22,23],"class_list":{"0":"post-23639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-prelims-current-affairs","8":"tag-prelims-pointers","9":"tag-scheduled-castes-and-scheduled-tribes-act","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-prelims-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}