The Supreme Court held that merely mentioning a caste name without intent to insult does not attract the SC/ST Act. It said allegations must show caste-based abuses or that the caste name was hurled as an abuse, in fact.
The Supreme Court requested the Centre’s response to a petition challenging the use of derogatory caste names in official certificates. The petition argues these terms violate dignity and equality principles, perpetuating stigma against Scheduled Castes. The petitioners seek to replace offensive terms with less discriminatory alternatives in official documents.