The Bombay High Court today ordered the police to take cognisance of the complaint filed by B W Ramteke, general manager of IDBI, against V P Shetty, chairman of IDBI, for allegedly passing casteist remarks against him.A division bench of Justice R M S Khandeparkar and Justice P V Kakade ruled that cognisance be taken under sections 7 (1) (d), Civil Rights Protection Act, 1955, which deals with the protection of civil rights of citizens.The high court, however, quashed section 3 (1) (10) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989) saying the alleged offence has taken place within the chairman's chamber and not in public view.The ruling came following an application filed by Shetty seeking qaushing of an FIR filed against him with the Cuffe Parade police station in south Mumbai.Ramteke had, on April 30, filed an FIR with the Cuffe Parade police station. Ramteke, also working as chief liasion officer for SC/ST employees with the bank, in a written complaint, had said he had requested the IDBI chief to calculate the fresh SC/ST backlog in view of the merger of IDBI Bank and IDBI. The suggestion was made to ensure due compliance of the the government's reservation policy and make available benefits to the backward class employees, the complaint said.Ramteke charged Shetty with insulting and humiliating himby making castiest remarks as he took up the cause of SC/ST employees in discharging the duties of the liason officer.Shetty had said he was wrongly accused of passing casteist remarks.
