New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Friday stayed proceeedings in a case registered under the SC/ST Act against a Telangana woman forest officer, who was attacked by a mob allegedly led by the brother of a ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLA.
The order of a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta came on a plea sought quashing of charges under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, (SC/ST) Act and other provisions leveled against Kagaznagar Forest Range Officer C. Anitha.
Advocate A.D.N. Rao, who is assisting the top court as amicus curiae in matters related to forest and the environment, informed the court that on June 30, Anitha was attacked by a group in Komram Bheem Asifabad district.
She had gone to the village with a few officials to plant saplings as part of the government’s ‘Haritha Haram’ green initiative.
Later on July 8, Anitha was booked under the SC/ST Act on a complaint filed by a tribal woman.
Rao told the bench that a similar incident has recently happened in Maharashtra with another forest department official.
He requested the court to ask Telangana and Maharashtra to file action taken report regarding these two incidents.
Thereafter, the bench asked the chief secretaries of Maharashtra and Telangana to file action taken report in both the matters and posted it for hearing on July 29.