The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act protects marginalised communities against discrimination and atrocities. On March 20th, 2018, the Supreme Court framed certain guidelines to prevent
misuse of the Act. In particular it ruled against automatic arrest of any accused under the law. It also introduced the provision of anticipatory bail, asserting that public servants can't be prosecuted without the approval of the appointing authority. The ruling however led to protests across the country with Dalit groups claiming that the Supreme Court order weakens the SC/ ST law. Experts say that two key facts the high rate of atrocities on Dalits and an abysmally low rate of conviction have not been taken into account in the SC order.

In our episode today, let's understand the provisions of the SC/ST Act, what the new SC guidelines are .... and the reason why India needs an Act to protect the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes even in the 21st century

Anchor: Teena Jha