Bihar’s law enforcement machinery has once again stumbled into controversy, this time booking a 9-year-old boy under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Rohtas district. The Juvenile Justice Board has stepped in forcefully, summoning the local police chief and demanding the charges be dropped immediately.
Details emerged from Navhatta police station jurisdiction, where a minor village dispute in December 2025 spiraled into a full-blown legal fiasco. Following a complaint from one child’s mother alleging fights and abuses, police registered cases against five people. Shockingly, the FIR included the 9-year-old as an accused under the heavy-handed SC/ST provisions.
On February 19, the boy appeared before the Juvenile Justice Board. Board members, including Magistrate Amit Kumar Pandey and Tej Bali Singh, expressed disbelief at the child’s age—estimated between 9 and 10 years. The FIR’s incomplete columns, particularly omitting ages, only compounded the absurdity.
Issuing a stern directive, the Board mandated the SHO to withdraw SC/ST charges against the minor and furnish a 24-hour report justifying the action. They decried it as a clear-cut abuse of the Act, vowing to involve higher-ups if explanations fell short.
The station head countered that the complaint involved brawling and insults, but conceded an ongoing probe into the erroneous SC/ST inclusion for the child. This mishap echoes a recent Darbhanga case where 200 villagers faced similar charges, tarnishing Bihar Police’s image.
Legal experts are calling for procedural reforms to prevent such travesties. The SC/ST Act, a crucial shield for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, must not become a tool for hasty policing. As Rohtas authorities scramble to respond, this episode serves as a wake-up call for sensitivity and precision in handling juvenile cases.