The Cabinet is learnt to have approved a Bill to amend the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The new Bill will apparently nullify the Supreme Court verdict on the use of the Act. The verdict had invited criticism from various corners that it will dilute the principles of the Act, formed to ensure justice in the cases of atrocities against Dalits and Adivasis.
Talking to reporters after the Cabinet, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Centre has taken a decision that will be beneficial for the SC-ST communities. He, however, did not give any details of the proposed legislation and said since Parliament is in session he is supposed to place the details before both the Houses before making it public.
Almost all political parties had voiced concern over the verdict. NDA ally LJP had publicly asked the Centre to come up with a legislation to nullify the apex court order.
The party had also demanded that the Centre should remove former Supreme Court judge Justice AK Goel from the post of National Green Tribunal Chairman as Goel was one of the judges who passed the order on the SC-ST Act.