Supreme Court Quashes SC/ST Act Case: Incident Lacked 'Public View'

The Supreme Court overturned a SC/ST Act case against a man, stating the alleged incident didn't occur in 'public view.' The bench noted that offences under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) require public presence. The case initially involved alleged caste slurs during a private encounter.

The Supreme Court on Friday nullified a case under the SC/ST Act against a man, arguing that the incident did not happen in 'public view.' This ruling came from a bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih, which stressed that for a valid offence under the relevant sections of the Act, the insult or intimidation must occur publicly.

The court highlighted that both Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act necessitate that any humiliation or caste-based abuse must happen where the public can witness or hear it. Citing the FIR, the judges noted the incident took place in the complainant's chambers, a domain not open to public view, thus invalidating the accusations under these sections.

This decision overturned a previous ruling by the Madras High Court, which dismissed the man's plea to quash the charges. The Supreme Court concluded that the FIR's allegations, even if accepted in total, did not constitute an offence under the Act's specified sections, leading to the setting aside of the High Court's order and the quashing of the chargesheet.

(With inputs from agencies.)