BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has said that the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules empower DCs to appoint eminent senior advocates on behalf of Dalits to effectively prosecute cases against upper caste people in courts.
Justice K. Natarajan passed this order dismissing the petition filed by MC Cherian of Chikmagalur and three others. He had questioned the appointment of a lawyer as a special prosecutor by the Deputy Commissioner in April 2021. The court held that the appointment of a lawyer at the request of the victim was against the SC/ST Act and Rules.
Also, it has been clarified that when the State seeks to protect the interests of SC/ST members from harassment and abuses, it will not be misinterpreted as burdening the Government by spending more money on legal fees.
