Insulting remarks to SCs/STs within four walls not offence: Supreme Court

New Delhi – Insulting remarks made to a person belonging to Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes within four walls of the house with no witnesses does not amount to offence, the Supreme Court said on 5th November as it quashed the charges under the SC/ST Act against a man who had allegedly abused a woman within her building.

It added that an offence under the SC/ST Act would be made out when a member of the vulnerable section of the Society is subjected to “indignities, humiliations and harassment” in any place within public view.

A Bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, Hemant Gupta and Ajay Rastogi said, “In view of the facts, we find that the charges against the appellant under Section 3(1)(r) of the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 are not made out. Consequently, the charge-sheet to that extent is quashed. The appeal is disposed of in the above terms”.

The bench said that the FIR in respect of other offences against one Hitesh Verma will be tried by the competent courts in accordance with law along with the criminal case, though separately initiated.