Relatives of victim crying after the house of a dalit was set on fire. (Press Trust of India Photo)
Highlights
- New rules to revamp the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act
- New rules widen the scope and definition of offences
- Includes provision of relief for offences of rape and gang rape
Anxious to prove its pro-Dalit credentials after the death of Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula in January, the Centre notified the new rules to revamp the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on Dr B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary, three months after notifying the amended law
The new rules widen the scope and definition of offences committed against Dalits (SCs) and members of Scheduled Tribes (STs), adding new offences to the list and lay down more stringent punishment.
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was amended by Parliament in Dec 2015 and notified on January 26 but the rules, which are the operative part of a law, were pending.
Social Justice Minister Thavar Chand Gehlot told NDTV, "Atrocities and humiliation, like parading women naked in the villages, wedding processions being prevented, smearing black paint on the face - are now explicitly mentioned to make the security of SCs and STs more effective and wider."
Among the new offences are preventing a Dalit from entering a place of worship or from using common property resources or entering an educational or health institution. It also includes garlanding an SC or ST person with footwear, instituting false, malicious or vexatious suits or legal proceedings against an SC or ST member. Attempting to promote feelings of ill-will against SCs or STs or imposing a social or economic boycott too is now criminally punishable.
In a major improvement on existing law, a provision of relief for offences of rape and gang rape has been introduced. The new rules do away with the requirement of medical examination for getting relief amount for offences against women such as sexual harassment, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of women, assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe, voyeurism and stalking.
Mr Vemula committed suicide on January 17 while the law was passed by Parliament in December last. Had the amended law and its rules been notified earlier, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice-Chancellor P Appa Rao, both named in an FIR registered following the suicide would have faced many more charges under the amended law.