Legal Updates 23 September 2026
Supreme Court Backs 2018 SC/ST Amendments
The Supreme Court rejected a petition seeking to overturn the 2018 amendment to the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which restored stricter provisions for caste‑based offences. The bench clarified that an insult lacking intent to humiliate does not qualify as an offence under the Act, preserving the heightened penalties for deliberate caste insults and affirming the amendment’s constitutionality aimed at deterring caste‑based violence.
The Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to the 2018 amendment of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, keeping the tougher provisions that target caste‑based insults and violence.
- Petition argued the amendment violated constitutional rights.
- Court held the law’s intent to deter caste‑based offences is valid.
- Clarified that an insult without intent to humiliate is not punishable under the Act.
*Read the full judgment* here.
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