# Supreme Court rejects PIL against 2018 SC/ST Act amendment

2026-09-22T22:31:38+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation challenging the 2018 amendment to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said the amendment had already been upheld by the court in the 2020 Prithvi Raj Chauhan verdict, and adequate safeguards against misuse existed. The 2018 amendment restored restrictions on anticipatory bail and removed the need for a preliminary inquiry before registering an FIR or prior approval before arrest. Petitioner Brijbhushan Saini's lawyer argued the provisions amounted to "reverse discrimination" and cited a low conviction rate and Rs 493 crore in compensation distributed, alleging misuse. The court declined to revisit the 2020 ruling.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three sources carried the same PTI-origin copy with no variation in framing. The coverage is uniform straight reporting of the court's dismissal. The petition's arguments on reverse discrimination and low conviction rates are noted but not endorsed. The key takeaway is legal finality: the 2020 Prithvi Raj Chauhan precedent stands, and the 2018 amendment's constitutional validity is settled. Future challenges will need new grounds not already adjudicated.

## Coverage

- economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/sc-rejects-pil-challenging-2018-amendment-to-sc/st-act-declines-plea-to-revisit-2020-judgement/articleshow/134412354.cms>
  Straight factual account of court proceedings and amendment history.
- deccanherald.com (neutral report) <https://www.deccanherald.com/india/supreme-court-rejects-plea-against-2018-scst-act-amendment-restoring-bail-bar-4155810>
  Brief wire-style summary of the dismissal, no commentary.
- rediff.com (neutral report) <https://www.rediff.com/news/report/sc-rejects-plea-against-2018-amendment-to-scst-act/20260923.htm>
  PTI copy with factual bullet points and no editorial slant.

Tags: Prithvi Raj Chauhan, SC/ST Act, Supreme Court, Surya Kant
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