Government plans review plea over SC/ST Act verdict

New Delhi: Apprehending that the Supreme Court’s latest order on the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, could have political repercussion and be used by the Opposition to paint the Modi government as “anti-dalit”, the government is mulling to file a review petition in the apex court agaisnt it.

While Union consumer affairs minister and LJP supremo Ram Vilas Paswan claimed that the schedule castes and tribes were “angry” over the apex court’s verdict, RPI(A) chief and minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale said that the Central government will soon file a review petition against the apex court’s order, which he personally feels is “not in favour of the communities”. Fearing the order’s political repercussion, ruling BJP’s dalit MPs met Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on the issue and would be meeting party president Amit Shah also. The government said it will read the judgment and give a structured response to it in the coming days.

Upset over the judgment, Mr Paswan demanded that the Centre “should file a review petition at the earliest” and said his party will file a review petition in the case.

The apex court had on Tuesday diluted the Act’s stringent provisions mandating immediate arrest under the law in a bid to protect honest public servants discharging bonaf-ide duties from being blackmailed with false cases under the SC/ST Act. Expressing concern over misuse of the Act, the court introduced the provision of anticipatory bail and ruled against automatic arrest of the accused booked under the law.

Mr Athawale, who met Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and the BJP president over the issue, said, “The SC/ST MPs, across parties, are unhappy at the verdict. We are going to wait for the law ministry to study the verdict.”