50 per cent prosecutors in special courts should be SC/STs: Balakrishnan

K G Balakrishnan,former Chief Justice of India and the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC),on Thursday called for appointment of at least 50 per cent of public prosecutors from the SC/ST category in the special courts adjudicating cases under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

According to him,such appointments were necessary since only people from the SC/ST class could relate to victims of atrocities and handle such cases with sensitivity and responsibility.

Speaking at the National Seminar on the status of implementation of the SC/ST Act,Justice Balakrishnan recommended that exclusive special courts in all states should be set up to handle such cases. “There must be proper investigation in all atrocity cases. Moreover,the social mindset of people needs to be changed and people of SC/ST communities should be provided equal opportunities,” he said,adding that lawmakers should also raise their voice in Parliament on the issue.

(Ankit Jain is on an internship with The Indian Express)