Over 6,000 cases of atrocities on Scheduled Caste pending in Gujarat courts

More than 6,000 cases of atrocities against the Scheduled Caste (SC) community are pending in Gujarat courts, as per the state government.

Several of the cases are pending for more than 10 years. The information was shared in the ongoing budget session of the 14th state Assembly on Monday.

Responding to a question raised by the Dasada MLA, Naushad Solanki, law minister Rajendra Trivedi informed the house that there were 6,024 cases of atrocities against the SC community in Gujarat in specially designated courts. Of these, there were 1,117 cases with a pendency of over two years, 1,221 cases of more than three years, 585 cases of more than five years and there were even 168 cases since more than a decade.

On the legislator's question on steps taken by the government to reduce this pendency, the minister replied that there was constant monitoring of the courts declared as 'Special courts' and designated under the provisions of the Atrocity Act, 1889. Instructions were also issued to expedite the matters to the principal judge, City Civil court, Ahmedabad and other district court judges, under the provision of Atrocity Amendment Act, 2015 section 14 (3).

In a question put up by the Congress lawmaker from Vav constituency, Geni Thakor, the law minister informed the house that the government had established special exclusive courts set up in Ahmedabad (rural), Anand, Banaskantha (Palanpur), Mehsana, Patan, Rajkot, Surat, Gandhinagar, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kutch (Bhuj), Vadodara and city civil court in Ahmedabad.

In the remaining district and subdivision, the session courts were designated as special court to deal with atrocity cases under the Atrocity Act 1889.

Replying to a question put up by late Dr Anil Joshiyara (who died on Monday), a legislator from Bhiloda, the law minister informed that a family belonging to the Valmiki community was attacked in Jitpur village of Aravalli district, but no incident of exodus has been reported of the community.

Similarly, in response to Khedbrahma MLA Ashwin Kotwal's question on the Jitpur family exodus, the minister said that as the village does not fall in Sabrkantha district, the information is not available.