SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, is a special legislation enacted to prevent atrocities against members of SC and ST communities and to provide for Special Courts for trial of such offences and relief and rehabilitation of victims.
- The Act defines and penalises a range of offences specific to caste-based discrimination, including forced labour, sexual abuse, social ostracism, denial of access to public places, forced consumption of obnoxious substances, and physical violence
- Amended comprehensively in 2015: expanded the list of offences under Section 3, added rights of victims and witnesses (Section 15A), and mandated establishment of Exclusive Special Courts in each district
- The Supreme Court in Subhash Kashinath Mahajan v. State of Maharashtra (2018) directed that a preliminary inquiry be conducted before FIR registration and allowed anticipatory bail -- this was perceived as diluting the Act
- Parliament passed an amendment in August 2018 (Section 18A) overturning the Supreme Court ruling: no preliminary inquiry required for FIR registration, no prior approval needed for arrest, and anticipatory bail provisions of CrPC do not apply
- In Prithvi Raj Chauhan v. Union of India (2020), the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the 2018 amendment
● Tracked since February 07, 2026 · last seen August 25, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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