2 Union ministers demand review of order on SC/ST Act
Ram Vilas Paswan and Ramdas Athawale say SC ruling to have serious implications; govt examining matter
NEWDELHI: The Centre must file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s recent judgment that banned automatic arrests and allowed anticipatory bail under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, two Union ministers from the Scheduled Castes demanded on Thursday.
As the demand for a review built up, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) indicated it was open to seeking a review, with party president Amit Shah likely to meet the ministers concerned with the issue on Friday.
Lok Janshakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan and Republican Party of India chief Ramdas Athawale — both allies of the Bjp-led NDA — said the top court judgment would have serious implications on the SC population and a review petition was needed to protect their rights.
Athawale said he and social justice minister Thawar Chand Gehlot met BJP president Amit Shah and finance minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday and were assured that a review petition would be filed after studying the judgment. Gehlot is the BJP’S tallest SC leader in the Union council of ministers.
“Shah spoke to law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and asked him to study the judgment and file a review petition,” Athawale said. Prasad said at a press conference that government was examining the matter and would give a structured response soon.
“There could be some instances of fake complaints in matters involving transfers and posting, but 99% of the complaints are genuine,” said Athawale, the junior minister for social justice. He said crimes such as murder and rape of a Scheduled Caste person are far too serious an offence to allow concessions to the alleged perpetrators. More than 45,000 cases related to atrocities against SCS (also known as Dalits) and STS, are filed every year, but the conviction rate is lower than 30%, he said.
Paswan said SCS and STS across the country were “angry” over the judgment and that the government must step in. He credited PM Narendra Modi for making the law more stringent in 2016, but alleged that several SC and ST MPS of the ruling alliance were upset with the verdict.
His parliamentarian son, Chirag Paswan, said: “The LJP has decided to file a review petition. We demand the Centre, too, file a similar petition.”
The act, Chirag said, was the only weapon in the hands of the two oppressed communities to prevent atrocities.
A senior BJP leader said the government and the party would decide what to do after a proper study of the judgment and its fallout, political and social.
A group of the BJP’S SC MPS met Prasad earlier in the day seeking a review petition. Lok Sabha MP and BJP’S SC Morcha chief Vinod Kumar Sonkar said a group of SC MPS would meet Shah with a similar demand, and insisted that the government would ensure that no harm was done to the interests of the community. The BJP has faced criticism over atrocities against SCS in states such as Gujarat and Maharashtra.
A senior minister aware of the developments said the party high command has decided to examine the court’s judgment in detail.
But there were hints from senior leaders in the government and the party that they would not take a step seen as “anti Dalit”, and a decision on seeking a review was possible.
While the Congress has asked for a review of the judgment, which it described as “unfortunate” and one that will led to a “sense of insecurity” among the oppressed classes, several BJP MPS have expressed concern over the ramifications of the order, particularly when the party is preparing for polls in as many as eight states and the general election.
Incidentally, in February, the ministry of social justice and empowerment, which is the nodal ministry for SC/ST welfare programmes asked 11 state governments to clear the backlog of cases of atrocities against Dalits and tribals to combat disenchantment among these communities.