District administrations, as a part of their important duties, ought to represent committees in every village panchayat to make sure assets devoted to public use are accessible to all with none discrimination on the premise of caste, the #Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has noticed.

#Justice R.N. Manjula noticed that the federal government had acquired a bounden responsibility to make sure the efficient implementation of the Scheduled #Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Section 21 of the Act spoke concerning the responsibility of the federal government to make sure the efficient implementation of the Act.

Earlier, the court docket took a severe view of caste discrimination reported in #Thalaivankottai in #Tenkasi district, the place Scheduled #Caste individuals needed to wait to gather their share of water from a public faucet until the water wants of the opposite communities had been fulfilled. The court docket had directed the Tenkasi Collector to take applicable steps and be certain that such discrimination didn’t happen.

Pursuant to the court docket order, the Tenkasi Collector, in a report, submitted that 17 public water faucet connections had been supplied and water was being provided for 3 hours daily.

It was additionally submitted {that a} committee comprising the panchayat president, panchayat secretary and Zonal Assistant Block Development Officer had been shaped to make sure that there was no discrimination between individuals belonging to completely different communities.

The court docket noticed that Section 3(1)(za) (A) of the Act included obstruction and prevention of a member of a Scheduled #Caste or a Scheduled Tribe from utilizing a typical public space or assets as an offence.

The court docket directed the Directorates of Municipal Administration and Town Panchayats and the District Collectors, below the supervision of the Chief Secretary and with the coordination of the Director General of Police, to implement the targets of Section 21 of the Act, particularly within the matter of sharing water and file a report.

A wholesome environment in rural and concrete communities ought to be ensured in an effort to obtain the target of the Act, the court docket noticed and posted the matter for listening to to August 21.

Published – August 05, 2025 10:29 pm IST