Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has held that the absence of an exact casteist slur in an FIR does not, by itself, warrant quashing a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, observing that the allegations and supporting evidence must be considered in their entirety.
Justice Santosh Rai dismissed an appeal filed by Nitesh Bind and others challenging a summons order issued by a Special Judge in Jaunpur on December 3, 2025, in connection with a case registered at Machhlishahr police station.
The appellants had argued that the FIR did not specify the caste-based slur allegedly used and, therefore, failed to establish the essential ingredients of the offence. They sought the cancellation of the summons order.
Opposing the appeal, the state counsel submitted that the FIR contained allegations of assault and the use of insulting language. Statements recorded during the investigation reportedly attributed specific roles to the accused, while medical reports documenting the injuries supported the prosecution’s allegations.
The prosecution also pointed out that the accused and the injured persons belonged to the same village, Daudpur in Jaunpur district.
The High Court observed that the shared village residence could be considered under Section 8 of the SC/ST Act while drawing a presumption regarding the accused’s knowledge of the victims’ caste, subject to the applicability of the statutory provision and the facts of the case.
The court noted that Nitesh Bind, Pintu and Ranjeet had been named in the FIR in connection with allegations of assault and insulting language. It also considered the statements of the injured persons and the supporting injury reports.
Finding no illegality in the trial court’s reasoned order, the High Court declined to interfere with the decision to summon the accused and dismissed the appeal as devoid of merit.
The ruling underscores that a challenge to criminal proceedings cannot succeed solely on the ground that an alleged casteist expression has not been reproduced verbatim in the FIR, where the allegations and supporting material warrant the matter being taken to trial.
