“NDA will not accept SC’s verdict on SC/ST Act”: Ramdas

Hyderabad, Jul 14 : The NDA government at the Centre is not ready to accept the Supreme Court judgement on the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act) 1989, Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said on Saturday.
The Supreme Court in its March 20 judgment, banning immediate arrest of a person accused of insulting or injuring a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe member, said it is meant to protect innocents from arbitrary arrest and not an affront to Dalit rights. The Top Court stood by its SC/ST Act Judgement on April 3 after the Centre failed to convince the bench by filing a review petition and seeking an urgent and open court hearing.
Talking to newsmen after conducting review meeting with the officials here on Saturday, Mr Ramdas said the BJP-led NDA government at the centre is contemplating to bring an Ordinance in this regard in Parliament and added that the government was not against any community and support all the communities in the country.
The NDA government was very serious on protecting the Atrocity Act. The Social Justice Ministry was also discussing with Prime Minister Narendera Modi and Union Law Minister to bring a law on promotions and reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
He said “ Supreme Court has no authority to disturb this Act because it was passed by the Parliament in 1989.
He also not agreed that 90 per cent of atrocity cases were false. Some may be false cases. But majority cases were real cases.. About 27,000 atrocity cases were reported last year, he added.
The Union Minister said that there were 7,634 atrocity cases reported during the last four years (till July 2018) in Telangana. The conviction rate was stood at 10 per cent, he said.