Not Every Insult To SC/ST Person Is Atrocity, Rules Calcutta HC, Dismisses Workplace Lawsuit

Last Updated:February 13, 2026, 13:59 IST

Workplace disputes cannot automatically be treated as crimes under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act unless there is clear evidence in public view, the court ruled

Not every insult involving a member of the Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) community amounts to an atrocity under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the Calcutta High Court has ruled.

According to a LiveLaw report, the court held that professional disagreements, administrative conflicts, or workplace disputes cannot automatically be treated as crimes under the Act unless there is clear evidence of intentional caste-based humiliation or intimidation in public view.

The order was passed by Justice Chaitali Chatterjee Das, who was hearing a petition seeking quashing of criminal proceedings arising out of an FIR registered at Amherst Street police station in Kolkata.

Background of the Case

According to LiveLaw, the complainant — an associate professor from the Scheduled Caste community — alleged that the head of the Sanskrit department had excluded him from departmental decisions, discontinued his classes, denied him examination duties, and used insulting language during an online meeting. He alleged that these actions were caste-motivated and caused him mental distress.

The accused professor, who holds BA, MA and PhD degrees in Sanskrit and had served as head of the department at Sanskrit College & University, challenged the proceedings, arguing that the allegations stemmed from professional disagreements and were malicious in nature.

Following an investigation, the police filed charges under Section 3(1)(r) of the SC/ST Act and issued summons, prompting the professor to move the High Court under Section 482 of the CrPC.

What the Court Observed

After examining the complaint and case diary, the court reportedly found that the allegations primarily related to departmental administration and workplace friction rather than caste-based abuse.

The judge noted that there was no specific allegation of intentional caste-based insult or intimidation and certain expressions cited by the complainant, including being addressed as “Adarsha Sir", could not reasonably be treated as humiliating or derogatory.

Calling the dispute essentially professional in nature, the court held that continuing the criminal case would amount to misuse of the law and harassment of the accused.

Accordingly, the High Court quashed the chargesheet and all proceedings pending before the special court, allowing the criminal revision petition.

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