Supreme Court Ruling on Anticipatory Bail in Caste Crime

• The Supreme Court cancels anticipatory bail granted to a caste crime accused, upholding Section 18 of the SC/ST Act, 1989.

• The ruling reinforces protection for Dalit victims, bars pre-trial relief, and warns against conducting a’mini-trial’ at the bail stage.

• The case involved caste-based assault, abuse, intimidation, and electoral retaliation linked to an electoral dispute.

• The Supreme Court quashed a Bombay High Court order that had granted anticipatory bail to an accused of caste crimes.

• The court emphasized that Section 18 of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, excludes the application of Section 438 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which allows anticipatory bail.

• The court cited precedents such as State of M.P. vs Ram Krishna Balothia (1995), Vilas Pandurang Pawar vs State of Maharashtra (2012), and Prathvi Raj Chauhan vs Union of India (2020).

• The court clarified that insults and assaults that occur outside the complainant’s house, in a manner visible to others, count as acts “within public view,” a statutory requirement under Section 3(1)(r).

• The court also cautioned High Courts against overstepping into evidence appreciation at the pre-arrest bail stage.

• The Supreme Court cancelled the anticipatory bail, calling the High Court’s order a “manifest error and jurisdictional illegality.”

• The ruling reinforces that the SC/ST Act is a substantive shield to safeguard the dignity and security of vulnerable communities.

• The judgment emphasizes that courts must respect the legislative intent of Section 18 and apply the “prima facie test” strictly on the face of the FIR.

Caste Crime Legal Decision is important topic for Civil service exam (WBCS).

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