Agra: A Hathras court ordered proceedings to recover financial assistance paid by govt in nine cases registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act between 2019 and 2024, after complainants turned hostile during trial or discrepancies emerged in the evidence, officials said. The cases involved allegations of assault, intimidation, rape and other offences, with payments ranging from Rs 75,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh in seven cases. The amounts in the remaining two were not specified.
ASP Ramanand P D Kushwaha said police had also begun proceedings under section 383(1) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and issued notices following the court’s directions. Among the cases, one registered at Sadabad police station in 2019 involved assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh. Three others involved Rs 1.5 lakh each, while another three involved Rs 75,000 each. In a case registered at Hathras Gate police station in 2024, authorities cancelled the financial assistance while the matter remained pending before the court. In another case, registered at Kotwali Nagar in 2022, police cited a report from the chief medical officer that did not confirm the allegation of rape.
Additional district govt counsel Dinesh Yadav said the special SC/ST court had initiated recovery proceedings in all nine cases.