Dalit organisations have protested against the alleged dilution of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Act by the SC. (File) Dalit organisations have protested against the alleged dilution of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Act by the SC. (File) Close to a month after the Supreme Court ruled that the guidelines are mandatory to prevent the misuse of the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, making it mandatory for the police to conduct a preliminary inquiry instead of the immediate arrest of the accused, the Superintendent of Police of Bharuch, Sandeep Singh, issued a circular to all police stations across the district, notifying them of the guidelines laid by the Supreme Court so that they can adhere to the same. Singh’s circular comes after a directive from the Special Judge of the SC ST Atrocity Court of Bharuch to the SP to communicate the same to the police stations. The circular from the Superintendent of Police to all police stations in Bharuch states, “This is to inform all (police) officials to adhere to the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court as per its verdict on March 20, regarding the SC ST (Prevention of Atrocity Act), which seeks to protect the fundamental rights of innocent citizens. In order to ensure that no innocent citizen is arrested in a false case under the said act, all Deputy Superintendents of Police are required to conduct a primary inquiry within seven days of receiving a complaint under the provisions of the said Act. In cases where the arrest of the accused in the complaint is necessary, if the accused is a public servant, then it is mandatory to seek the permission of the department such an accused is employed with, before the arrest. A non-public servant can be arrested only after the approval by a senior Superintendent of Police.” The communication from the SP of Bharuch comes after a directive of the 2nd Additional District and Sessions Judge and Special Judge for SC ST Atrocity Court of Bharuch, G M Patel. The judge, in a communication on April 6, has directed the Bharuch SP to communicate the guidelines of the Supreme Court to all police stations across the district. The directive of the Judge states that if any violation of the guidelines is noticed during the police action in cases of complaints, it will be treated as “contempt of court”. When contacted, Singh told this newspaper, “The circular sent to the police stations is as per the order of the honorable judge of the SC ST Atrocity Court of Bharuch. It is not circular issued by the police department but a procedural obligation to follow the order of a court. The letter from the court was addressed to me and expected me to apprise the police stations in the district about the change in the provisions of the Act through the guidelines laid by the Supreme Court. Therefore, the same as been communicated to the police stations to comply with the order of the court.” For all the latest Ahmedabad News, download Indian Express App

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