Ensure timely justice in cases under SC-ST Act, says Dhami – myuttarakhandnews.com | Uttarakhand News in English | Dehradun News Today| News Uttarakhand | Uttarakhand latest news

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun  Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the State administration to ensure that every person affected by atrocities receives timely justice, security and respect. He gave the directive while chairing a meeting of the State-Level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee, constituted for the effective implementation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, at the State secretariat on Tuesday.  The CM directed that the cases registered under the Act from the year 2024 till date, in which the investigation is pending, should be reviewed and their timely disposal should be ensured on priority basis. He said that the police, administration and prosecution should take effective action in coordination with each other in cases pending for a long time and of serious nature. He also directed to regularly review the cases pending in special courts.  Dhami added that there should be no delay in disbursing the approved relief amount to the victims. “Assistance to affected families should not be limited to financial assistance. They should also be linked to medical, educational, security, rehabilitation and other eligible government schemes as needed. In serious and sensitive cases, the safety of the victim and their family should be given top priority,” he said. The CM added that the education of children from affected families is not disrupted due to any incident and that eligible children should be linked to scholarships and other educational assistance schemes.He added that regular training should be provided to police officers and staff regarding the provisions of the Act, investigation of sensitive cases and treatment of victims. The CM ordered that an awareness campaign in rural and remote areas regarding the provisions of the Act, legal rights and the assistance available to victims should be held. On a stern note, Dhami said that decisions taken in meetings should not be limited to mere minutes and responsibility and timelines should be assigned for each decision. The CM was informed that 189 and 157 cases were registered under the Act in the year 2024 and 2025 respectively. In the year 2026, 116 cases have been registered till September 15, out of which 25 cases are under investigation. Social Welfare minister Khajan Das, MLA Mamta Rakesh, Home secretary Shailesh Bagauli, Social Welfare secretary Sridhar Babu Addanki and other officers attended the meeting.