7 months ago
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The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has present prescribed conditions nether which complaints to the sheet are to beryllium rejected, successful immoderate cases, without a hearing. Officials of the Commission said that this directive has been issued to woody with the “high pendency” of cases. They added that it is meant to besides guarantee that non-SC residents don’t flood the sheet with complaints.
These “checklists” for processing complaints person been issued for each 3 of its wings: the Service Safeguard Wing, the Economics and Social Development Wing, and the Atrocities and Protection of Civil Rights Wing. The directive said that complaints whitethorn beryllium rejected if they are not signed, not addressed properly, anonymous oregon bash not person a self-declaration of one’s Scheduled Caste status.
It besides stated that complaints related to issues that person been decided by courts oregon are being decided by courts, oregon those seeking implementation of tribunal orders volition not beryllium entertained. Additionally, complaints regarding argumentation matters whitethorn besides beryllium rejected.
The Commission has besides issued a checklist for circumstances erstwhile atrocity complaints whitethorn beryllium closed without proceeding to a hearing, which includes cases wherever the ailment has nary interaction accusation oregon if the petitioner wishes to retreat the ailment oregon the petitioner is satisfied with the enactment taken study successful the case. There is besides a proviso that says, “Complaints lacking immoderate wide transportation to the complainant’s SC presumption volition beryllium closed.”
Mandate for ‘SC-specific context’
Further, successful a conception for “systemic oregon organisational issues”, the Commission said, “Complaints that pertain to wide administrative irregularities, systemic failures, oregon organisational deficiencies... volition not beryllium entertained if they bash not contiguous immoderate wide SC-specific context.”
In an illustration to item what this means, the bureau memorandum said, “Allegations of corruption successful a nationalist bureau oregon unjust termination from a occupation volition not beryllium considered unless determination is simply a nexus to the complainant’s SC presumption oregon grounds of caste-based discrimination.”
Officials of the Commission told The Hindu that these checklists emanate from the panel’s Rules of Procedure. They added that these checklists person been issued successful immoderate measurement to woody with the “high pendency” of complaints with the NCSC. One elder authoritative claimed that this would not empower officials to “close” complaints but beryllium conscionable a rulebook to process them.
However, successful the directive, issued by an Under Secretary to the Government of India to each officers of the Commission, it is stated, “All Sections/Divisions and State offices of NCSC shall adhere strictly to the enclosed checklists portion processing the cases.”
One Commission Member told The Hindu, “There was this occupation of galore non-SC residents filing complaints connected the online portal from each implicit the country. So, the Commission felt it was needed to present specified checklists.”
‘Grievances indispensable beryllium specific’
Initially, the Commission’s directive, issued connected September 8, had required complainants to taxable a valid caste certificate, however, this was amended to a self-declaration this month, aft involution from immoderate of the Commission’s members.
In the checklist issued for the Service Safeguard Wing (SSW), the NCSC has required grievances to beryllium specific, adding that “general oregon vague allegations shall not beryllium acted upon”. For complaints astir preservation argumentation being violated, the complainant is required to specify which parts of the Department of Personnel and Training bureau memorandums, Government of India orders, State authorities orders, oregon organisational rules are violated. Further, for SSW complaints, the petitioners are present required to supply “evidence oregon anterior connection with the acrophobic department/authority”, the deficiency of which “may render the ailment premature”.
Apart from the checklists prescribing erstwhile complaints tin beryllium closed, the directive besides specifies the types of offences that broadly travel nether the purview of the Commission, which see offences against beingness and bodily integrity, intersexual offences and harassment, kidnapping, forced labour, crimes against spot oregon livelihood, denial of rights and favoritism (such arsenic temple entry, caste abuse, h2o usage, societal boycott, etc.), procedural lapses of constabulary negligence, and authoritative apathy (systemic inaction oregon negligence by officials).
