Insulting remarks to SC/ST person made within 4 walls of house doesn't amount to offence: SC

New Delhi: Insulting remarks made to a person belonging to Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes within four walls of the house with no witnesses does not amount to offence, the Supreme Court said on November 5 as it quashed the charges under the SC/ST Act against a man who had allegedly abused a woman within her building.

The top court said that "all insults or intimidations to a person will not be an offence under the SC/ST Act unless such insult or intimidation is on account of the victim belonging to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe".

It added that an offence under the SC/ST Act would be made out when a member of the vulnerable section of the society is subjected to "indignities, humiliations and harassment" in any place within public view.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, Hemant Gupta and Ajay Rastogi said: "In view of the facts, we find that the charges against the appellant under Section 3(1)(r) of the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 are not made out. Consequently, the charge-sheet to that extent is quashed. The appeal is disposed of in the above terms."