Calling by Profession Not SC-ST Act Offense Unless Intent to Insult: Allahabad HC

• Allahabad High Court rules that merely addressing someone by their profession is not an offense under the SC-ST Act.
• The court clarified that an offense occurs only if words are deliberately uttered with the intention of insulting a person from the SC-ST community.
• The ruling came during a petition challenging a summons order in a case where the complainant alleged casteist slurs after demanding wages.
• High Court noted that calling someone 'Dhobin' (washerwoman) in the context of a wage dispute does not automatically invoke the SC-ST Act.
• The court quashed proceedings under specific sections of the SC-ST Act but directed continuation of IPC sections 323, 504, and 506.