Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955

The petitioners, a group of manual scavengers and NGOs, filed a public interest litigation under Article 32 seeking the eradication of manual scavenging and dry latrines, alleging violations of Articles 14, 17, 21 and 47 of the Constitution and the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohi…

The appellants, Ram Narayan and his son Mahesh, were convicted of murdering five persons in Madhya Pradesh in 1984. The murders were allegedly motivated by the marriage of a higher‑caste woman to a Harijan man, leading the accused to commit a series of brutal axe killings, including a neighbour and a 14‑year‑old girl. …

The appellant, a Scheduled Caste MLA, lodged a complaint before the Special Judge (constituted under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act) alleging that the Chief Minister made public derogatory remarks that encouraged untouchability. The Special Judge found an offence under Section 3(1)(x) of the 1989 Act and Sect…

The Supreme Court examined whether it could compel Parliament to enact a law disqualifying candidates against whom serious criminal charges have been framed and whether it could direct the Election Commission to deny such candidates the use of a party's reserved symbol. The Court held that disqualification is a matter …

The appellant, Shajan Skaria, an online news editor, published a YouTube video alleging misconduct by the complainant, an MLA belonging to a Scheduled Caste. The complainant filed a complaint under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(u) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and the Sp…

The appellant, Dr. Subhash Kashinath Mahajan, a senior government official, was charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for refusing sanction to prosecute two senior officers who had made adverse entries in his service record. He sought anticipatory bail and the quashing o…

The petitioners challenged a Government Order (G.O. No.118 dated 23‑05‑2006) that any Hindu with requisite qualifications could be appointed as an Archaka in Hindu temples, arguing that it violated Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution. The Court examined whether the appointment of Archakas must follow the prescriptio…

The appellants, a group of journalists and media houses, were charged with defamation for publishing a news item that alleged the Additional Commissioner of Police, Rajiv Trivedi, facilitated the Sohrabuddin encounter. The second respondent obtained a previous sanction under Section 199(4)(b) of the Criminal Procedure …

The Supreme Court heard a public‑interest writ petition filed by Pravasi Bhalai Sangathan seeking pre‑emptive orders against hate speeches by elected representatives, arguing that such speeches violate Articles 14, 15, 19, 21 and fundamental duties. The Court examined whether existing statutes—IPC, SC/ST (Prevention of…

Jagdish Ram, a District Ayurvedic Officer, was charged under Section 7 of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 for allegedly practicing untouchability. The police investigation concluded the complaint was false, but the magistrate, after a second complaint, took cognizance and issued process. The accused repeatedly…

The appellant, a Malayala Brahmin, challenged the appointment of a non‑Brahmin as Santikaran (priest) of a Shiva temple administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board, claiming that the temple’s custom required a Brahmin priest and that the appointment violated his constitutional rights under Articles 25 and 26. The Sta…

The State of Uttar Pradesh alleged that a large mob of villagers attacked a scheduled‑caste marriage party, killing 14 and injuring 7. The key issue was whether the mob constituted an unlawful assembly with the common object of killing the Doms, and whether the accused could be held liable under Section 149 IPC based o…

The appellants were convicted of murder under Sections 302/149 IPC for the killing of Munnabhai, but the Madhya Pradesh High Court Division Bench was split on the convictions of seven of them. The matter was referred to a third judge under Section 392 of the CrPC, who refused to revisit the convictions of three appella…

The State of Karnataka appealed against a Karnataka High Court judgment that acquitted Appa Balu Ingale and others of offences under Sections 4 and 7 of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955. The accused were alleged to have used a gun threat to prevent Harijan (Dalit) villagers from drawing water from a newly dug b…