Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday directed public interest litigation (PIL) petitioners to conduct proper research and present data regarding attacks on Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). This directive came in response to a PIL alleging that the state government was not taking steps to identify atrocity-prone areas and initiate preventive measures as prescribed under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
PIL Filed by NGO
The PIL was filed by B Karthik Navayan, director of the city-based NGO Law Pilot Foundation and an advocate. It sought directions to both the state and central governments to identify atrocity-prone areas across all states and to initiate preventive measures to safeguard SCs and STs from ongoing and potential future atrocities.
Court's Observations
A bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao advised the petitioner to research the matter deeply instead of making general statements. During the proceedings, the Chief Justice recollected his earlier career handling PILs that resulted in improved healthcare facilities after the formation of the state.
The Chief Justice remarked that while ensuring the protection of every citizen, particularly those from marginalized groups, is a priority, it is practically not possible to provide a gunman to each citizen. He further directed the petitioners to bring forth any material showing lapses or violations in the Act and its implementation.
Petitioner's Arguments
Petitioner’s counsel Srikanth Chintala argued that despite constitutional safeguards and legal frameworks such as the SC and ST Act and the Protection of Civil Rights Act, SCs and STs continue to endure rampant discrimination, physical assaults, and systemic exclusion. He informed the bench that in 2023 alone, over 57,000 cases of crimes against SCs and STs were registered nationwide, with crimes against STs surging by 29% compared to previous years.
Chintala stated that police and state administrations repeatedly fail to enforce protections, including the neglected provision for identifying atrocity-prone areas and initiating preventive measures as mandated in the Act. He noted that the only preventive measure authorities claim is the local police and tahsildar visiting villages, but nothing concrete is happening on the ground.
He cited a recent incident in Nirmal district during the panchayat elections, where members of a particular community attacked the Lakshmanachanda police station. According to Chintala, members of an upper caste attacked an ST woman after discovering she did not vote for them. When police arrested those involved, members of their community attacked the police station and forcibly took away the individuals.
Chintala added that several such incidents are occurring across the state but remain unreported. He stated that he would submit news clippings to support his claims and urged the court to take them into consideration.
