SC/ST Act: Assam Cong urges PM to file review petition

The Congress in Assam today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to file a review petition in the Supreme Court to modify its recent order that, it claimed, would make it more difficult for SC/ST people to protect themselves from atrocities.

The Supreme Court on March 20 diluted the provisions of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and said government servants should not be arrested without prior sanction and private citizens, too, should be arrested only after an inquiry under the law.

The Supreme Court's March 20 judgement in the case of Subhash Kashinath Mahajan Vs State of Maharashtra has caused distress among SC and STs as it will make it more difficult to protect themselves from atrocities, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora said in a memorandum to the Prime Minister.

"We believe that Additional Solicitor General (ASG) representing the Central Government failed to defend the rights of the SC/STs in the Supreme Court for want of proper guidance from the central government," Bora said in the memorandum.

The SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act had been enacted to end atrocities against the SC/ST people and for ensuring social justice as well as safeguarding their constitutional rights, he said.

The guidelines provided by the Supreme Court while diluting the provisions of the Act has made it ineffective in safeguarding the SC\STs from Atrocities, Bora said in the memorandum.

It was also signed by APCC Scheduled Caste wing chairman Dr Ramananda Das and Scheduled Tribe wing chief Ramesh Bordoloi.

Meanwhile, the Centre today moved the Supreme Court seeking review of its March 20 judgement on the SC/ST Act.

Several Dalit organisations called for a 'Bharat bandh' today to express their concerns over the "dilution" of the Act.