The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of 

Atrocities) Act, 1989

PRELIMINARY

Short title, extent and commencement. 

1. This Act may be called the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled extent and Tribes (Prevention 

of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

2. It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu Kashmir.

Definitions

1. In this Act unless the context otherwise requires. 

a. "atrocity" means an offence punishable under section 3

b. "Code" means the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974)

c. "Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes" shall have the meanings assigned to them 

respectively under clause (24) and clause (25) of article 366 of the Constitution

d. "Special Court" means a Court of Session specified as a Special Court in section 14

e. "Special Public Prosecutor" means a Public Prosecutor specified as a Special Public 

Prosecutor or an advocate referred to in section 15.

2. Any reference in this Act to any enactment or any provision thereof shall in relation to an area in which such enactment or such provision is not in force, be construed as a reference to the corresponding law, if any, in force in that area.

OFFENCES OF ATROCITIES. 

Punishment for offences of atrocities

Whoever, not being a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe -

i. forces a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe to drink or eat any inedible 

or obnoxious substance

ii. acts with intent to cause injury, insult or annoyance to any member of a Scheduled 

Caste, or a Scheduled Tribe by dumping excreta, waste matter or carcasses . 

iii. forcibly removes clothes from the person of a member of a Schedul-ed Caste or a 

Scheduled Tribe or parades him naked or with painted face or body or commits any 

similar act which is derogatory to human dignity.

iv. wrongfully occupies or cultivates any land owned by, or allotted to, or notified by any 

competent authority to be allotted to, a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe or gets the land allotte.