In Brief
The Supreme Court allowed the appeal against a High Court order that had quashed criminal proceedings against police officers accused of assaulting and abusing a Dalit woman, allegedly while discharging duties. The Court held that the 2016 amendment to Section 14 of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which empowered Special Courts to directly take cognizance, does not exclusively oust the Magistrate's jurisdiction. Procedural irregularities in the forum taking cognizance do not vitiate the entire trial unless the accused proves actual prejudice. The Court emphasized that quashing proceedings on technical grounds gives undue advantage to perpetrators and prejudices victims' rights. The matter was remitted for trial before the Special Court.
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