Letter to BS: Supreme Court refuses to stay its order on SC/ST Act

A greater representation for SCs and STs in the top echelons of the judiciary is needed to correct the unfair situation

The Supreme Court’s (SC) refusal to stay or revise its original order on the SC/ST Act may delight the upper castes, but it certainly represents a setback to the struggle for social justice. 

The apex court’s line of reasoning, that the Act gives no legal remedy to the accused and the ‘amendments’ made were in the nature of ‘safety measures’ to ensure that innocents are not punished, does not hold. 

By its logic, filing a first information report or initiating prosecution and conviction or punishment are indistinguishable. The apex court could have shown some sensitivity and avoided the observation that the Dalit