The Supreme Court today upheld the Constitutional validity of the SC/ST Amendment Act, 2018. A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said, a court can grant anticipatory bail only in cases where a prima facie case is not made out.

The bench said, a preliminary inquiry is not essential before lodging an FIR under the act and the approval of senior police officials is not needed. Justice Ravindra Bhat, the other member of the bench, said in a concurring verdict that every citizen needs to treat fellow citizens equally and foster the concept of fraternity.

He said, a court can quash the FIR if a prima facie case is not made out under the SC/ST Act and the liberal use of anticipatory bail will defeat the intention of Parliament. The top court’s verdict came on a batch of PILs challenging the validity of the SC/ST Amendment Act of 2018. PILs were filed to nullify the effect of the apex court’s 2018 ruling, which had diluted the provisions of the stringent Act.