Jury urges Telangana CM to convene SC/ST Act vigilance panel meet
HYDERABAD: A seven-member panel of retired judicial, academic and legal professionals has urged the Telangana Chief Minister to immediately convene a meeting of the State-Level High-Power Vigilance and Monitoring Committee to address alleged failures in implementing the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Jury flags delay in mandated review meetings under PoA Act
In a letter dated March 17, 2026, the panel said the committee, reconstituted under G.O.Ms. No. 5 issued on February 27, 2025, had not held any meeting despite statutory requirements to meet at least twice a year. The jury said the absence of periodic reviews at state and district levels had allowed atrocities to remain underreported and inadequately addressed.
The signatories include Justice (Retd.) Nimma Narayana, Prof. Rama Melkote, Prof. K. Lakshmi Narayana, Prof. Sujatha Surepally, Prof. Kalpana Kannabiran, advocate V. Raghunath and advocate Darshanam Narasimha.
Public hearing testimonies highlight systemic gaps in enforcement
The jury presided over a public hearing on January 25, 2026, in Hyderabad on the implementation of the SC/ST Act. The event was organised by the Telangana chapter of the National Alliance of People’s Movements and the Dalit Bahujan Front with support from grassroots groups.
More than 30 representative cases were presented from nearly 100 documented incidents across 22 districts. Victims and survivors from remote areas travelled to depose before the panel. Jury members said testimonies indicated delays in registering First Information Reports, pressure for informal settlements, inadequate investigations and low conviction rates.
They also cited delays in filing charge sheets and non-disbursement of compensation and relief under the Act’s rules.
RTI data cited on lack of relief, legal aid for victims
The panel referred to Right to Information data from the Scheduled Castes Development Department dated January 23, 2026. It said no case in 2024 received interim relief within the mandated seven days. No public servant was booked under Section 4 of the Act for alleged neglect of duty.
The data also indicated that legal aid or facilities were not provided to victims in 27 districts and no cases were registered under Sections 4 and 5 during the year.
The jury has urged the government to enforce timelines for FIR registration, investigation, trial and compensation. It also called for activation of district-level vigilance committees within two months, effective legal aid, capacity-building of officials and implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 to secure Adivasi land rights.
The panel said it was preparing a detailed analytical report based on testimonies and sought an early meeting with the Chief Minister to discuss further steps.
