No stay on SC/ST Act, will consider Centre's review petition in detail: SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay its order on SC/ST Act and asked all parties to submit detailed replies within two days.

The top court has listed the Centre's review petition after 10 days for detailed hearing and has asked Maharashtra and others states to file written submissions before the next date of hearing.

Denying dilution of any provision of the SC/ST Act, the apex court said that provisions of SC/ST Act cannot be used to terrorise the innocents.

The top court said, "We have not diluted any provision of SC/ST Act and only safeguarded interest of innocents from being arrested."

Hearing the review petition filed by Attorney General KK Venugopal, the Supreme Court today said that people people who are agitating have not read the verdict properly and have been misled by vested interests.

In its review petition, the Centre said that the procedural checks ordered by the apex court by way of preliminary inquiry before arrest will reduce the rate of registration of cases and conviction, increase pendency and act as a deterrent against filing FIRs.

Read: Centre moves Supreme Court over mandatory arrest order

The Supreme Court had on March 20 said that "in view of the acknowledged abuse of law of arrest in cases under the Atrocities Act, arrest of a public servant can only be after approval of the appointing authority and of a non-public servant after approval by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) which may be granted in appropriate cases if considered necessary for reasons recorded."

Also read: Arrest of an accused not mandatory under SC/ST Act, says Supreme Court

The court held that there is a need to provide for safeguards against registration of FIRs and arrests under the SC/ST Act in view of instances of misuse, as observed in the last three decades.