Paswan hails SC order upholding amendments to law on atrocities against Dalits

Union minister and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday hailed the Supreme Court order upholding the constitutional validity of the amendments to make a law on atrocities against Dalits stringent and asserted that the Centre is committed to protecting the constitutional rights of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

"I welcome the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court to uphold SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018.The Central govt is committed to protecting SC/STs from atrocities and their constitutional rights, and today the apex court has also put its stamp on it," Paswan said.

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Act saying a court can grant anticipatory bail only in cases where a prima facie case is not made out.

A preliminary inquiry is not essential before lodging an FIR under the act nor is the approval of senior police officials, said a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra.

The top court's verdict came on a batch of PILs challenging the validity of the SC/ST Amendment Act of 2018, which was brought to nullify the effect of the apex court's 2018 ruling, which had diluted the provisions of the stringent Act.