Govt wants to pass SC/ST bill in current parliament session: Rajnath

Under the new provision, no preliminary enquiry will be required for registering FIRs against the accused and arrest of persons accused under the SC/ST Act and this will not require any approval.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday spoke on the bill to amend SC/ST atrocities prevention act, saying that the bill which was cleared by the cabinet on Wednesday, will be introduced in parliament in the ongoing session for consideration and passage. Speaking on the issue in Lok Sabha during zero hour, Rajnath Singh said "I don't know why the members are raising this issue now. I think they are aware and they have the knowledge that the Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill". “The entire country knew that the Supreme Court had diluted the SC/ST Act through its ruling that a preliminary enquiry was required to arrest any person even under the SC/ST Act meant for preventing atrocities against those covered under the Act” he added. Under the new provision, no preliminary enquiry will be required for registering FIRs against the accused and arrest of persons accused under the SC/ST Act and this will not require any approval.