Cleaning Police stations is not justice: SC slams judicial discrimination against dalits

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India has sharply criticised the Odisha judiciary, characterizing bail conditions that require Dalit and Tribal defendants to clean police stations and banks as a form of blatant caste discrimination. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi—acting suo motu (on its own motion)—labelled these orders "cruel, abhorrent, and a violation of human rights," noting that such conditions reflect a regressive and colonial mindset toward the dignity of marginalised communities. The bench expressed deep disappointment, warning that such judicial actions could create the perception that the Odisha judiciary functions on a caste basis.

The Court reminded lower courts that the Constitution guarantees an egalitarian, caste-free society under Articles 14, 15, and 17. It directed the state judiciary to immediately cease imposing conditions that give a "caste colour" to justice or further marginalize vulnerable groups. While the defendants' bail remains valid, the Supreme Court declared these specific humiliating conditions null and void and directed that this order be circulated to all High Courts across the country to prevent similar future occurrences.

The scrutiny specifically highlights a pattern of orders, including those from Orissa High Court Judge S.K. Panigrahi, who has issued at least 50 such orders since April 2025. These conditions were applied to a broad spectrum of cases ranging from theft and loan fraud to more serious charges like murder and NDPS offences. In one documented instance involving a loan default, a woman was ordered to mop the floors of a private bank branch for three hours daily (between 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM) for a period of one to three months. Other orders required anti-mining activists from the Adivasi community to clean the police station premises for two months as a prerequisite for their release. The Supreme Court emphasised that such conditions, which effectively turn bail into coerced labour, strike at the very heart of the "premise of innocence" and judicial dignity.