VIJAYAWADA: Protesting against the Supreme Court’s decision to amend the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the Bezwada Bar Association (BBA) staged a rally in city on Wednesday.
The body’s newly elected president Kondapalli Satyanarayana, secretary Lakshmana Rao, association members and city-based lawyers participated in the protest and said that the apex court should review its judgement as there are more chances of increasing atrocities against scheduled castes and tribes.
They further said the apex court’s ruling was being seen as a dilution of the SC/ST Act, which aims to protect marginalised communities. “BBA opposes the SC ruling as the amendment dilutes the Act that aims to protect the marginalized sections. We will take up the issue with High Court and Supreme Court till the Apex court suspends the amendment,” Satyanarayana said.
On March 20, the Supreme Court said the arrest of an accused under the SC/ST Act was not mandatory and recourse to coercive action would be only after preliminary inquiry and sanction by the competent authority. BBA members stated the literacy rate among lower castes, especially SC and ST, was less. “How can the Court say that the act is being misused? The amendment, which dilutes the provision of SC/ST act should be stayed and suspended,” BBA urged.