The SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989
What the Act protects against, how an atrocity is reported, what the police must do, and the rights it gives victims and witnesses.
The SC/ST Act — the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 — makes a long list of acts of humiliation, exclusion, violence and dispossession against members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes into offences, when committed by someone outside those communities. Most carry six months to five years. No preliminary enquiry is needed before an FIR, the police must file a charge-sheet within 60 days, and victims have statutory rights to protection, information and a hearing. National Helpline Against Atrocities: 14566.
Key takeaways
- The Act protects members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes against offences by people who are not members of those communities.
- Section 3(1) lists 29 kinds of atrocity, from forced consumption of obnoxious substances to social boycott, each punishable with six months to five years and fine.
- No preliminary enquiry is required before registering an FIR (s. 18A(1)(a)). Police must give the informant a copy, record statements, and file the charge-sheet within 60 days or explain the delay in writing.
- A public servant who wilfully neglects these duties commits an offence punishable with six months to one year (s. 4).
- Victims and their dependents have a statutory right to protection, to notice of every court hearing including bail, to be heard, and to travel, maintenance and rehabilitation support (s. 15A).
- Penal Code offence of 10 years or more, knowing the victim is SC/ST (s. 3(2)(v))life
- Any atrocity in section 3(1)6 months to 5 years
- Public servant wilfully neglecting duties (s. 4)6 months to 1 year
From the sections as amended. Each also carries a fine, and section 3(2) sets heavier punishments for other graver conduct. The full-width bar is imprisonment for life.
What the SC/ST Act is, and what it protects against
The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 is Act 33 of 1989, in force since 30 January 1990. It is often called the Atrocities Act or the PoA Act. It was not replaced in the 2024 criminal law reforms; it is a special law that works alongside the general criminal code.
The Act protects members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and the offences in section 3 are committed by a person "not being a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe". Its purpose is to address acts that target people because of who they are — humiliation, exclusion, violence, and the taking of land and livelihood.
It was substantially expanded by an amending Act (Act 1 of 2016) in force from 26 January 2016, which widened the list of offences, created Exclusive Special Courts and inserted section 15A on the rights of victims and witnesses. A further amendment in force from 20 August 2018 inserted section 18A on registration of FIRs.
What counts as an atrocity under section 3
Section 3(1) lists twenty-nine kinds of conduct, clauses (a) to (zc). Each is punishable with imprisonment of not less than six months and up to five years, and fine. They fall into a handful of groups.
| Group | Examples from the Act | Clauses |
|---|---|---|
| Degrading treatment | Forcing a person to eat or drink an obnoxious substance; dumping excreta or carcasses at their home; garlanding with footwear or parading naked; forcible tonsuring or other acts derogatory to human dignity | (a)–(e) |
| Land and resources | Wrongfully occupying, cultivating or getting transferred land owned by or allotted to them; wrongful dispossession, or interference with rights over land, water or forest | (f)–(g) |
| Forced labour and caste occupations | Begar or bonded labour; compelling a person to carry carcasses or dig graves; manual scavenging; dedicating a woman as a devadasi | (h)–(k) |
| Elections and public office | Forcing or preventing a vote or nomination; obstructing a Panchayat or Municipality office-holder; violence or boycott after a poll | (l)–(o) |
| Misuse of the legal process | False, malicious or vexatious legal proceedings; false information to a public servant to their injury | (p)–(q) |
| Public insult and hatred | Insulting or intimidating with intent to humiliate in public view; abusing by caste name in public view; defiling objects held sacred; promoting enmity; disrespecting a person held in high esteem | (r)–(v) |
| Sexual acts against women | Intentional touching of a sexual nature without consent, or words, acts or gestures of a sexual nature, knowing she is a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe | (w) |
| Exclusion from shared life | Fouling water sources; denying passage to public places; forcing a family from their home or village; obstructing use of common resources, cremation grounds, roads, wedding processions, places of worship, schools, hospitals or shops; witch-branding; social or economic boycott | (x)–(zc) |
Section 3(1) punishments: at least six months, up to five years, and fine. Section 3(2) covers graver conduct, including false evidence and arson, with heavier punishments.
The graver offences, and offences under the general criminal law
Section 3(2) deals with conduct that is more serious, including giving or fabricating false evidence to get a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe convicted, and mischief by fire or explosive against their homes or places of worship, some of which carries imprisonment for life.
Section 3(2)(v) is the provision that links the Act to the general criminal law. Where a person who is not a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe commits an offence under the Indian Penal Code punishable with ten years or more against a person or property, knowing the person is a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe or the property belongs to them, the punishment is imprisonment for life and fine. Section 3(2)(va) makes offences listed in the Act’s Schedule, committed with the same knowledge, punishable as under the Penal Code.
These provisions still name the Indian Penal Code. Under section 8 of the General Clauses Act, 1897, a reference in one law to a provision that has since been repealed and re-enacted is read as a reference to the re-enacted provision, unless a different intention appears — so for conduct after 1 July 2024 the corresponding provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita are the ones in question.
Reporting an atrocity, and what the police must do
Section 18A(1)(a) says that for the purposes of the Act "preliminary enquiry shall not be required for registration of a First Information Report against any person". A police station cannot hold back an FIR while it first looks into whether the complaint is genuine.
Section 4(2) sets out duties of public servants under the Act. They include reading back to the informant information given orally before taking a signature, registering the complaint or FIR under the appropriate sections of this Act, giving the informant a copy "forthwith", recording the statements of victims and witnesses, and completing the investigation and filing the charge-sheet in the Special Court or Exclusive Special Court within sixty days — explaining any delay in writing.
A public servant who is not a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe and who wilfully neglects these duties is punishable with six months to one year (s. 4(1)). Charges are booked on the recommendation of an administrative enquiry, and the Special Court takes cognizance of the dereliction (s. 4(2), (3)).
The National Helpline Against Atrocities, run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, is toll-free on 14566 in Hindi, English and regional languages. Each complaint gets a docket number that can be tracked.
The rights of victims and witnesses, and Special Courts
Section 15A, added in 2016, gives victims, their dependents and witnesses rights that are enforceable in the Special Court.
| Right | What the Act says | Sub-section |
|---|---|---|
| Protection | The State must protect victims, dependents and witnesses against intimidation, coercion, inducement, violence or threats | (1) |
| Dignity | A victim must be treated with fairness, respect and dignity, with regard to age, gender, educational disadvantage or poverty | (2) |
| Notice | Reasonable, accurate and timely notice of every court proceeding, including any bail proceeding | (3) |
| To be heard | At any proceeding on bail, discharge, release, parole, conviction or sentence, with written submissions | (5) |
| Practical support | Travelling and maintenance expenses, social and economic rehabilitation, and relocation, during investigation, inquiry and trial | (6) |
| Confidentiality | The court may conceal names and addresses of witnesses and act the same day on a complaint of harassment | (8) |
More questions about this page
What is the SC/ST Act?▼
What is an atrocity under the SC/ST Act?▼
Is a preliminary enquiry needed before an FIR under the SC/ST Act?▼
What is the time limit for filing a charge-sheet under the SC/ST Act?▼
What rights does a victim have under the SC/ST Act?▼
What is the SC/ST atrocity helpline number?▼
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Official sources checked
The statutes, rules and regulator pages the statements on this page were checked against.
- Sections 3, 4, 14, 15, 15A and 18A read in full; amendment dates confirmed from the consolidated Act’s footnotes.
- The helpline number, languages and docket tracking.
- How a reference to a repealed and re-enacted provision is read.
What happens, and how long each part takes
- The atrocity is reportedno preliminary enquiry first
The FIR is registered without a preliminary enquiry (s. 18A(1)(a)), under the appropriate sections of the Act. Oral information is read back before signing (s. 4(2)(a)–(b)). Helpline 14566 can assist.
- A copy to the informantforthwith
The police must give the informant a copy of the information recorded (s. 4(2)(c)).
- From here the police and the Special Court run it
Once the FIR is registered, the investigation and trial move on their own timetable — but within the limits the Act sets, and with the victim entitled to notice and to be heard throughout.
Statements recordedduring investigationOf the victims and witnesses (s. 4(2)(d)). From this point victims are entitled to protection and, where needed, travel and maintenance expenses (s. 15A(1), (6)).
- Charge-sheet filedwithin 60 days
In the Special Court or Exclusive Special Court, with any delay explained in writing (s. 4(2)(e)).
- Trial in the Special Courtday to day; disposal within two months as far as possible
The victim receives notice of every hearing, including bail, and may be heard (ss. 14(2)–(3), 15A(3), (5)).
The time limits are the Act’s own. This timeline shows the complainant’s and the victim’s side of the process only.
The sections of the SC/ST Act people look up
| Section | What it does |
|---|---|
| s. 3 | Punishments for offences atrocitiesThe atrocities, and their punishments. |
| s. 4 | Punishment for neglect of dutiesDuties of public servants, and punishment for wilfully neglecting them. |
| s. 14 | Special Court and Exclusive Special CourtSpecial Courts and Exclusive Special Courts. |
| s. 15 | Special Public Prosecutor and Exclusive Public ProsecutorSpecial Public Prosecutors. |
| s. 15A | Rights of victims and witnessesRights of victims and witnesses. |
| s. 17 | Preventive action to be taken by the law and order machineryPreventive action by magistrates and police. |
| s. 18A | No enquiry or approval requiredNo preliminary enquiry before an FIR. |
| s. 21 | Duty of Government to ensure effective implementation of the ActThe Government’s duty to ensure the Act is implemented. |
What to do next
A criminal matter is not something to work out from a page, and this one does not pretend otherwise. Whether you are complaining or answering a charge, the next step is a lawyer.
Free legal services are a legal entitlement, not charity. Under section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 they are available to anyone in custody, every woman and every child, members of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, persons with disabilities, victims of trafficking or of a disaster or caste atrocity, industrial workers, and anyone whose income is below the limit their State sets — provided the legal services authority is satisfied there is a case to bring or defend (section 13).
- NALSA — National Legal Services Authority
- NALSA legal aid helpline (toll-free): 15100
- Your District Legal Services Authority. Every district has one, at the district court, and it is the office that arranges a lawyer.
- National Helpline Against Atrocities (toll-free): 14566Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Hindi, English and regional languages; every complaint gets a trackable docket number.
Not legal advice. This page explains what a provision says and how the procedure around it works, checked against the Act as in force on the date shown. It is not advice about a charge, a complaint or an arrest, and it cannot be: whether a provision fits a set of facts is the question a court decides, and the facts a page cannot see are usually the ones that matter. If you are facing a criminal matter, or deciding whether to start one, speak to an advocate.
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Last reviewed September 2026.