LUCKNOW: In a significant ruling aimed at addressing the misuse of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a special SC/ST court in Lucknow convicted a woman on Thursday for filing a false complaint under the Act. The incident dates back to August 2019, when her complaint led to the filing of an FIR. The court sentenced her to 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment.
The court also issued a critical directive, stating that no compensation under the Act would be granted solely based on the registration of an FIR. Instead, relief will now be considered only after the filing of a chargesheet and the establishment of a prima facie case.
Special Judge (SC/ST Act) Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi emphasized the growing issue of false complaints being lodged to obtain government compensation. He remarked, “The practice of filing fake SC/ST cases for financial gain is on the rise and must be stopped immediately.”
In a detailed 30-page ruling, the judge pointed out that the mere filing of an FIR does not amount to a prima facie case. The court noted that the legislative intent behind the Act was never to provide public funds as relief to those misusing the law with fabricated accusations.
The woman was sentenced to six months of simple imprisonment under Section 182 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for providing false information to a public servant, and an additional three years under Section 211 (IPC) for filing a false charge of an offense with the intent to harm.
