Allahabad High Court Upholds Dismissal Of SC/ST Case Over Private Home Land Dispute

The Allahabad High Court has upheld a trial court’s decision to dismiss a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Jalaun. The court rejected the appeal, finding no illegality in the lower court’s order.

Justice Santosh Rai passed the order while hearing an appeal filed by Gayatri Devi. She had approached the Special Judge in Orai, Jalaun, alleging an assault, caste-based abuse and theft.

According to the complaint, Pramod, Raju and Indal Singh assaulted Mannu Singh with hockey sticks on October 28, 2024. They allegedly used caste-based slurs and stole Rs 2.5 lakh.

The police did not register an FIR, prompting Gayatri Devi to file a complaint. The trial court dismissed it on September 19, 2025.

The High Court noted that a civil dispute over land division was already pending between the parties. Mannu Singh, aged 80, testified about the incident.

However, the medical evidence consisted of only one prescription dated November 7, 2026, which did not match the alleged incident date of October 28, 2024.

The court found the allegation of a Rs 2.5 lakh theft rested on hearsay rather than direct evidence. It observed that Section 3(1)(r) requires an intentional caste-based insult or humiliation and the identification of specific caste-related words.The complaint did not establish these essential elements.

The judges noted that the alleged incident occurred inside a private residence amid a land dispute. No independent witness supported the allegations.

The High Court concluded that the trial court had correctly dismissed the complaint. Finding no legal infirmity in its order, it rejected Gayatri Devi’s appeal.

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