Supreme Court to hear review pleas on SC/ST verdict on May 3

The Supreme Court will hear the Centre's plea seeking review of its judgment on the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (SC/ST Act) on May 3. Attorney General K K Venugopal mentioned the matter for early hearing before a bench comprising Justices A K Goel and Deepak Gupta and said he had already filed his written submission in the matter.

"The last line of your last order says that list the matter after written submission is filed. I have filed my written submission. Four states have also filed review petitions. Please give us a date," Venugopal told the bench. Justice Goel said the matter would be listed for hearing in the next week and posted it for arguments on May 3. The Centre had moved the apex court on April 2 seeking review of its judgement by which safeguards were put on the provisions for immediate arrest under the SC/ST Act.

The government, in its review petition, told the Supreme Court that its March 20 verdict will violate Article 21 of the Constitution for the SC/ST communities and sought restoration of the provisions of the Act. The apex court had on March 20 said that on "several occasions", innocent citizens were being termed as accused and public servants deterred from performing their duties, which was never the intention of the legislature while enacting the SC/ST Act.