Division Bench consisting of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Vishwajith Shetty of Karnataka High court directed the state government to furnish details about the cases registered in-state under SC/ST Act. The court reasoned that it is necessary to have clarity about the pendency of cases. The court directed the state government to produce a year-wise chart indicating the number of offenses registered under the said Act in that particular year. The HC wanted a detailed report from the state government as to the number of charge sheets filed, number of cases in which orders of acquittal/discharge have been passed, number of cases in which orders of acquittal/discharge has been challenged, and number of cases which resulted in the conviction of the accused. Along with the detailed report, the court also directed the state to produce the list of cases in which stay has been passed. This decision of the court was the result of the plea that was filed seeking the proper implementation of various provisions of the SC/ST Act.
Further, the court also observed that there was a serious lack of care in regards to the meetings of various committees under the SC/ST Act. The court also lamented on the frequency of meetings held by State level vigilance, District level Vigilance, Monitoring Committee, and Sub-divisional Level Vigilance. Thus, the court directed the state government to ensure that all the said committee meetings to be conducted as per the Rules. The court also noted that the information given by the state government regarding the compensation payable for the victims under this act is vague and not adequate. In light of submissions, the court decided that it is necessary to have clear and structured data regarding these issues. Therefore the court directed the state government to submit year-wise details indicating the number of cases in which compensation was actually given to the victims.
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