Justice for SC/STs: Karnataka among worst

For the last 23 years, not a single police officer in the country has been penalised for dereliction of duties under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities (prevention) Act.

Lip service to the dalits and tribals apart, there has been a ‘dismal’ rate of conviction in the cases of atrocities against the poor and marginalised SCs and STs. Karnataka has one of the the lowest rates of conviction of 3.3 per cent.  

Addressing the media along with Home minister P Chidambaram, Union Social Justice and Empowerment minister Mukul Wasnik said  on Tuesday that the conviction rate on cases of atrocities on SCs and STs in India was between 3 and 8 per cent, while the pendency of such cases in court was 80 to 90 per cent.

“The conviction rate is dismal and pendency is very high. If this is the scenario, we all — both Central and state governments — have to ponder upon it and take corrective steps to provide justice to the SC and ST victims,” Wasnik said.

The conviction rate in cases of atrocities against SCs and STs was 3.3 per cent in Karnataka, 6.4 per cent in Gujarat and 6.6 per cent in Maharashtra, while the pendency rate was 90 per cent in Gujarat, 88 per cent in West Bengal, 87 per cent in Maharashtra and 82 per cent in Bihar.

"We have to see how to seize arms from those who indulge in such violence and how to give arms to dalits for self-defence," Wasnik said.

An officer of the rank of deputy-SP alone could register cases under the Act to ensure ‘fair play.’ The astounding fact is that despite poor registration of the cases and dereliction of duties, not a single police officer was penalised under the Act.