SC/ST Amendment Act to be introduced in Parliament: Rajnath
New Delhi, Aug 2: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said a Bill to amend the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act, cleared by the Cabinet on Wednesday, will be introduced in Parliament in the ongoing session for consideration and passage.
"I don't know why the members are raising this issue now. I think they are aware and they have the knowledge that the Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill," Rajnath Singh said in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour.
He said the entire country knew that the Supreme Court had diluted the SC/ST Act through its ruling that a preliminary enquiry was required to arrest any person even under the SC/ST Act meant for preventing atrocities against those covered under the Act.
"The Prime Minister has said then if there is any dilution in the Act, we will bring a bill. And there is no if and but in it, he (Modi) had promised," he said.
"We will introduce the Bill in this session of Parliament to make it a law."
The Home Minister's remarks come a day after the Union Cabinet decided to restore a provision of the SC/ST Act allowing the arrest of accused persons without a preliminary enquiry or prior approval that was recently struck down by the Supreme Court.
The preamble of the amendment says that the decision to arrest or not to arrest cannot be taken away from the investigating officer, a power given under the Criminal Procedure Code in which there is no provision for a preliminary enquiry.
Under the new provision, no preliminary enquiry will be required for registering FIRs against the accused and arrest of persons accused under the SC/ST Act and this will not require any approval. The provision of anticipatory bail shall not be available to the accused notwithstanding any court judgment.
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Tumakuru: Dalit family allegedly prevented from entering temple; accused arrested
Tumakuru: Police in Turuvekere have arrested a 65-year-old man for allegedly obstructing a Dalit family from entering a temple and making caste-based remarks, officials said on Saturday.
The accused, identified as Rajanna, has been booked under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act based on a complaint filed by Rangaramu T. of Thuyalahalli village.
According to the FIR, the incident took place on April 18 around 5:30 pm when Rangaramu T. and his family visited the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Mallur village to offer prayers. It states that the accused allegedly objected to their entry and made remarks referring to caste hierarchy and questioning their presence inside the temple premises.
The FIR further states that the accused made additional remarks asserting that such entry into the temple was not permitted and asked the family to leave. It also mentions that the complainant was subjected to mental harassment through these statements.
Following the complaint, DySP Om Prakash Gowda along with revenue officials and police visited the spot and conducted an inspection.
Further investigation is underway.
