MP: Accused sentenced to three years each in case of assault and caste-based insult on Dalit youth
The special court hearing the case found the three accused guilty under sections 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 34 (committing a gang offence) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Published on: 13 Apr 2025, 11:37 am
Bhopal. The special court has given an important verdict in the case of assault and insult with casteist words on a Dalit youth in Nepanagar of Burhanpur district of Madhya Pradesh. The special judge convicted all the three accused and sentenced them to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of one thousand rupees each. This decision has come under the Scheduled Caste/Tribe Atrocities Prevention Act, which is considered an important step towards providing justice to the victims.
What’s the matter?
The incident took place on May 30, 2024, when a youth resident of Welfare Center, Nepanagar was attacked by three youths. The accused have been identified as Sundaram Dhananjay Thakur (23), Arjun Rameshwar Maratha (22) and Sahil alias Bhupendra Chauhan (22). These three are residents of Welfare Center, MG Nagar and Bhavani Nagar respectively.
The accused first abused the victim and then started beating him. Not only this, they attacked the youth with a sharp weapon and injured him. After this, the victim was also insulted by using casteist words targeting his caste.
On the complaint of the victim, the case was seriously investigated by the police station in-charge inspector Janu Jaiswal. After this, on August 5, 2024, a challan was presented in the court against the accused.
The special court hearing the case found the three accused guilty under sections 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 34 (committing a gang offence) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Special Public Prosecutor Deepak Umale argued the case on behalf of the government. Umale presented factual and evidence-based arguments on behalf of the victim, which convinced the court that the incident was well-planned and based on caste hatred.
Special Public Prosecutor Deepak Umale said that he presented solid evidence and factual arguments on behalf of the victim before the court, which proved that the incident was pre-planned and the accused beat and insulted the victim due to caste hatred. The court accepted the arguments of the prosecution and convicted all three accused.
Court decision
The special court held all the three accused guilty and sentenced them to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of one thousand rupees each. This verdict not only serves to provide justice to the victim, but also sends a message to the society that caste-based discrimination and violence will not be tolerated.
Legal provisions relating to punishment
Section 325 of the Indian Penal Code:
Voluntarily causing grievous hurt
Punishment: Maximum 7 years imprisonment and fine
Section 34:
intent to commit a crime collectively
Section of SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act:
Insults using casteist slurs, physical violence, public humiliation
Punishment: 6 months to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment and fine
