SC/ST Act: Govt to file review next week

The government is set to file a review petition before the Supreme Court next week challenging its order banning automatic arrest and registration of cases for alleged harassment of SCs and STs.

Top law officers are constantly brainstorming with officials of the ministry of Social Justice to prepare a credible review plea, highlyplaced sources in the government said.

“The review will be filed by Wednesday (next) as by then the grounds for the review will be ready,” a senior functionary said.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government has taken note of the Supreme Court judgement about laying down new norms about the SC/ST Act.

“I have already instructed my ministry to consider the desirability of filing a review. Appropriate follow up actions are being taken,” he said. The top court had recently banned automatic arrests and registration of criminal cases under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989.

The law protects the marginalised communities against discrimination and atrocities. A delegation of NDA’s SC and ST MPs, led by LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Union Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, had yesterday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the apex court judgement diluting provisions of the SC-ST atrocities act.

Gehlot recently wrote to Prasad about a review plea against the Supreme Court verdict. He noted that there were concerns that the order would make the law “ineffective” and adversely impact dispensation of justice to Dalits and tribals.