Reference To Victim's Profession Without Intent To Humiliate On Caste Grounds Does Not Attract SC/ST Atrocities Act
Reference to a person's profession, without more, does not constitute an offence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. To attract Sections 3(1)(Da) and 3(1)(Dha) of the Act, it must be established that the words were intentionally used with the specific intent to humiliate the victim on account of membership of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe community. Mere use of words descriptive of occupation, in the context of a contractual relationship between parties, falls short of the threshold required under the Act.
