Ghaziabad: The Allahabad High Court has expressed concern over the alleged misuse of provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Uttar Pradesh and directed the state government to strengthen verification and monitoring mechanisms for relief claims.
In Ghaziabad, more than 15 cases registered under the SC/ST Act over the past one-and-a-half years have reportedly been found to involve incorrect facts or false complaints. Following investigations, ₹8.90 lakh in assistance provided in these cases has been recovered, according to the district Social Welfare Department.
The development comes amid wider concerns regarding the verification of claims made under the Act. The report said that since April 2025, Ghaziabad’s Social Welfare Department has provided more than ₹2 crore in assistance across 186 cases.
The High Court’s directions followed its cognisance of an incident in Jhansi, where a single family was reportedly found to have received lakhs of rupees in relief in multiple cases. Following the court’s intervention, scrutiny of relief claims has been intensified in Ghaziabad.
Officials said legal proceedings are also underway against claimants found to have obtained assistance on the basis of false complaints or incorrect information.
Under the strengthened procedure, relief instalments are to be released only after additional verification involving the District Welfare Committee, police investigating officers and the Special Court. The state government has also directed district-level committees to examine claims before compensation is released.
A centralised tracking mechanism has reportedly been introduced to verify repeated FIRs and relief claims filed by the same individual or family. The High Court has emphasised that relief funds are intended for eligible victims and their rehabilitation, with safeguards needed to prevent fraudulent claims.
