(1.) Aggrieved by the dismissal of his bail under sec. 438 Cr.P.C, the accused has come up before this court by filing an appeal under sec. 14-A of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, (SCSTPOA), seeking bail.
(2.) The appellant had filed a bail application before the Court of learned Additional Sessions Judge/Special Court, Mansa which was dismissed on 18/1/2022.
(3.) In Prathvi Raj v. Union of India, AIR 2020 SC 1036, a three-judge bench of Supreme Court read down S. 18 by declaring as follows,