In Brief
Vetrivel was convicted under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for insulting a member of a Scheduled Caste by mentioning her caste, physically assaulting her, and causing injury during a dispute over a rented tailoring shop. The Special Court sentenced him to 3 years imprisonment, reduced to 2 years by the High Court. The Supreme Court partly allowed his appeal, reducing the sentence to 1 year imprisonment based on his age (25 at the time), absence of serious injury, no prior criminal record, and having already served over 9 months. He was ordered to pay Rs. 25,000 fine within six weeks.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.