Question
Describe the crimes that have been dealt with the Scheduled Caste and Shceduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act?
Solution
This Act contains a very long list of crimes. The Act does not only describe terrible crimes, but also lets people know what dreadful deeds human beings are capable of.
The Act distinguishes several levels of crimes:
(a) It lists modes of humiliation that are both physically horrific and morally represhensible and seeks to punish those who
(i)force a member of a SC or ST to drink or eat any inedible or obnoxious substance
(ii)forcibly removes clothes from the person of a member of a SC or a ST or parades him or her naked or with painted face or body or commits any similar act which is derogatory to human dignity.
(b)It enlist actions that dispossess Dalits and Adivasis of their meagre resources or which force them into performing slave labour. Thus, the Act sets out to punish anyone who wrongfully occupies or cultivates any land owned by, or allotted to, a member of a SC or a ST or gets the land allotted to him transferred;
(c)The Act recognises that crimes against Dalit and tribal women are of a specific kind and, therefore, seeks to penalise anyone who assaults or uses force on any women belonging to a SC or ST with intent to dishonour her.
Tips: -
V. Imp.
