IPC is most misused, not SC/ST Act: Panel

Tribune News Service

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Lucknow, September 20

The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is misused much less than the Indian Penal Code, according to chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Commission Brijlal.

Speaking to the media today, Brijlal, a former DGP, said being a former cop he could confidently say that IPC was the most misused law. The so-called misuse of the SC/ST was not substantiated by facts, he said.

Corroborating his claim, he said of the 1,665 cases that came to the state commission during the last five months since he took over, only 42 were found to be false.

Charging BSP president Mayawati of diluting the state SC/ST commission, Brijlal said on May 21, 2007, she had removed the clause of the commission members compulsorily belonging to the SC/ST community.

“While she herself continued to appoint SC/ST members to the commission, the SP government later took full advantage of the amended rules and appointed a large number of OBCs to the commission,” he alleged. He said he had written to the Yogi government to restore the original status and make it mandatory for the commission members to be from the SC/ST community.