The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the criminal proceedings against Madhya Pradesh Vyapam scam whistleblower Anand Rai, saying no case was filed against him under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Supreme Court of India. (PTI File)A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N Koteshwar Singh ruled that the facts on record did not constitute an offense under the SC/ST Act and the invocation of the stringent provisions of the 1989 Act against Rai was not sustainable.
Allowing Rai’s plea, Justice Karol read out the operative part of the judgment, setting aside the proceedings initiated against him on the basis of the charge-sheet order, which was earlier upheld by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The verdict ends the trial that the Supreme Court had adjourned in July 2025, when it adjourned the trial pending a final verdict on Rai’s challenge and raised concerns over the way the SC/ST Act was invoked.
Rai has consistently maintained that the case was a product of a “malicious prosecution” aimed at silencing him for his public activism and his role in exposing the Byam scam.
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Appearing for Rai, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Vivek Tanka had earlier argued that none of the elements required to attract offenses under the SC/ST Act were present in the complaint. It was submitted that no caste-specific reference as mandated by law, intended to insult or intimidate any member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe.
They also pointed out that the inquiry was conducted by an officer below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in violation of Rule 7 of the SC/ST Rules, which stipulates that under the law the inquiry must be conducted by an officer of the rank of DSP or above.
In his petition filed through advocate Sumir Sodhi, Rai asserted that the prosecution was not the actual practice of criminal law but a tool to target him for his ideological stance and activism, which often criticized the government.
On 3 July 2025, Rai approached the apex court after the Madhya Pradesh High Court refused to interfere with the trial court’s order framing charges against him in the case.
A doctor by profession, Rai is known for exposing large-scale irregularities in medical admissions in Madhya Pradesh, popularly called the Vyapam scam, which was later investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The charges against him stemmed from an incident in November 2022 during the unveiling of a statue of Lord Birsa Munda, a revered tribal icon. A rally organized by Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS) alleged that agitated elements were obstructing the convoy of elected representatives and government officials, leading to allegations of unlawful assembly, obstruction of public servants, assault and criminal use of force.
