Printing Rajab Ali’s text doesn’t attract SC/ST Act: Panel member

Printing Rajab Ali’s text doesn’t attract SC/ST Act: Panel member
Vivek Gupta
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 25
In a major embarrassment to the Punjab Police, member of the Punjab State SC Commission Dalip Singh Pandhi today said the SC/ST Act could not apply on the publishers and book editors who were arrested on September 15 for reproducing the text of 20th century Punjabi poet Babu Rajab Ali.

Speaking to The Tribune, Pandhi said, “The provision of the SC/ST Act under which they were arrested was applicable when someone intentionally tried to humiliate members of the SC/ST community in full public view. There was no such mention in the FIR.” He said the Act could have been valid had there been a ban on reproducing the literature. Since the work of Rajab Ali was freely available in Punjab and elsewhere, no publisher or editor could be booked for reproducing his poetry, he said.

The commission also took note of the fact that the two book editors, Jagjit Singh Sahoke and Sawtantar Singh, belonged to Scheduled Cast community. Pandhi said this was a serious breach of the SC/ST Act as under no circumstances could the said Act be levied on the members of the same community. He said: “A letter seeking inquiry into the matter has been sent to the member secretary of the Punjab State SC Commission.”

LK Yadav, DIG, Patiala range, said the matter was under investigation and nothing could be said before its completion. Meanwhile, the Patiala Sessions Court today granted bail to publisher Ashok Garg and book editor Swatantar Singh. 
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120926/punjab.htm#13