Lucknow: In a landmark ruling aimed at curbing the misuse of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a special court in Lucknow has sentenced four individuals to rigorous imprisonment and heavy fines for filing false cases under the Act. The decision, delivered by Special Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, is being hailed as a strong deterrent against the growing trend of exploiting the law for personal vendettas.
The SC-ST Act, introduced in 1989, was framed to protect marginalized communities from caste-based atrocities, ensuring swift justice through designated special courts. While it has been instrumental in safeguarding genuine victims, instances of its misuse have also emerged over the years. The recent verdicts highlight such cases and mark a turning point in the legal approach towards false complainants.
The first case involved a man named Sahdev, who filed a report through court intervention at Ghazipur police station on April 12, 2024. He accused Satyanarayan and his son Sanjay of robbing him of ₹20,000 and a mobile phone on December 16, 2023, while also invoking sections of the SC-ST Act. Upon investigation, the charges were found to be fabricated. The police submitted a final report confirming the falsity of the complaint. Taking the matter seriously, the court sentenced Sahdev to seven years in prison along with a fine of ₹2,01,000 on April 2, 2025.
In the second case, Ramesh Rawat misused his caste identity to file a false case in 2022 against four individuals—Arun, Irfan Ali, Mohammad Zeeshan, and Rizwan—at Chinhat police station. He claimed he had been assaulted, combining the allegation with SC-ST Act provisions. However, the actual conflict was financial in nature. After a thorough investigation, the complaint was declared baseless and dismissed on December 6, 2022. The court later found Ramesh guilty and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of ₹50,000 on May 8, 2025.
A long-standing land dispute involving five bighas of land between Lakhan Singh and Sunil Dubey led to the third case. On February 15, 2014, Lakhan filed charges of attempted murder, threats, vandalism, abuse, and SC-ST Act violations at Vikasnagar police station. The investigation revealed the claims were false and motivated by personal rivalry. The court handed Lakhan the harshest punishment of ten years in jail along with a fine of ₹2,51,000 on May 16, 2025.
In the most sensitive of the four cases, Rekha Devi from Zaidpur, Barabanki, filed a complaint on June 29, 2021, against two men—Rajesh and Bhupendra—accusing them of issuing life threats and committing gang rape, along with invoking the SC-ST Act. The case was later transferred to BKT jurisdiction. Following an intensive investigation, the charges were proven to be false. The investigating officer requested the court to take action against Rekha. On June 16, 2025, she was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison and fined ₹2,01,000.
Legal experts believe the verdict sends a strong message about the sanctity of the SC-ST Act. “While the law is critical for protecting marginalized communities, its misuse undermines its intent and causes genuine victims to suffer delays and doubt,” said a senior advocate.
Under Section 23(1) of the SC-ST Act, the government offers financial aid ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹8.25 lakh to victims of atrocities. However, such benefits can be unfairly claimed through fraudulent cases—causing not just legal strain but also moral harm to the justice system.
The court’s verdict is now being considered a precedent, highlighting the judiciary’s evolving stance: protecting the oppressed but not tolerating deception in their name.
