Expedite pending cases relating to SC & S T: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday asserted that pending cases relating to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe need to be expedited and the law department should appointing special public prosecutors in different special courts for the purpose.

Training and orientation programme should be held regularly for officials concerned to keep them abreast of changes that have been incorporated in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules and Act and its provisions over time, Kumar said.

The chief minister was speaking at a meeting here convened to review the state-level monitoring and vigilance committee constituted under Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules 1995 and Amendment Rules 2016.

"The law department should appoint special public prosecutors in different special courts (constituted under SC and ST Act, 1989). Eligible and committed lawyers should be given the responsibility and inefficient special public prosecutors should be absolved so that pending cases (relating to SC and ST) can be expedited," Kumar was quoted as saying in an official release.

The director general of police should carry out police station wise review of all the cases, he said adding that the meeting of district-level monitoring and vigilance committee should be held regularly.

Kumar said land for habitation should be made available to all the landless families belonging to SC and ST apart from Mahadalits.

The state government is providing Rs 60,000 for buying land for those who have got allotments under Pradhan Mantri Grameen Awas Yojana but do not possess land.

Home, revenue and land reforms, SC and ST departments, the director general of police, IG(Weaker Section), CID and director of prosecution gave detailed report at the meeting on the work being carried out by the departments and agencies.