SC to hear pleas against amendments to SC/ST Act on April 30

The Supreme Court Tuesday said it will hear on April 30 the pleas challenging amendments to the SC/ST Act 2018 along with the Centre's petition seeking review of its verdict last year on the issue. The apex court is seized of the Centre's plea seeking review of its last year's March 20 verdict by which the top court, while taking note of rampant misuse of the stringent Act against government servants and private individuals, had diluted the arrest provisions.

Besides the Centre's review plea, several petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of the amendments are pending in the apex court. The matter came up for hearing on Tuesday before a bench headed by Justice U U Lalit which said these pleas will be heard on April 30.

The top court had earlier refused to stay the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018 which restored the provision that no anticipatory bail be granted to the accused. On February 19, the court had said it would hear afresh the Centre's review plea along with the petitions filed against amendments to the Act as the old bench hearing the matter had changed.

On March 20, 2018, the apex court had held that there would be no immediate arrest on any complaint filed under the stringent SC/ST Act.

Later, on August 9, Parliament passed a bill to overturn the apex court judgement relating to certain safeguards against arrest under the SC/ST law. The amendments rule out any provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of atrocities against SC/STs, notwithstanding any court order.