Supreme Court’s SC Act ruling ‘illogical’: NCSC Chairman

Our Correspondent 

Jaipur, May 23 

Expressing concern on the Supreme Court order putting checks on implementation of Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Ram Shankar Katheria on Wednesday said it was an “illogical” ruling and the commission had approached and urged the President and the Prime Minister to intervene immediately. 

“If the SC’s Atrocity Act ruling prevails, the cases related to SC/ST would rise and more injustice will be done against these people, hence the NCSC has given separate letters with this intention to the President and Prime Minister”, Khatheria told a press conference here.

“SC’s order on SC/ST Act has no logic," he categorically remarked. 

NCSC team led by Katheria is reviewing the state government’s performance on the Centre’s development plans, programmes and schemes being implemented by the BJP government, and getting feedback from the police department on crime redressal on cases related to SC.

On reported deaths of labourers while working in sewer chamber in Rajasthan, he expressed shock that the police attitude was “negative” as no FIR was registered under Section 302 of the IPC against the concerned contractor or officer of municipal bodies who used to allocate works.

There were four such deaths in Udaipur recently, and during 2016-17 Rajasthan reported 13 deaths of labourers in sewer, he disclosed. 

Katheria said he had strictly told the police department and quoted a Supreme Court’s ruling in which the FIR be lodged under Section 302 of the IPC, and an immediate compensation of Rs 10 lakh be given to the victim’s family.

And after registering FIR against the contractor or official concerned, Rs 8.25 lakh ex-gratia be given to the family’s kin, and other benefits of pension, free education to his kids, and job to his wife was mandatory as per the SC order, he added.