Hyderabad: Telangana Rakshana Sena president Kalvakuntla Kavitha called for a constitutional amendment to give SC and ST Commissions enforceable powers. She said the proposed changes should also cover other statutory bodies across the country to help them deliver meaningful justice.
Speaking at a round-table meeting organised by SC and ST employees at the Basheerbagh Press Club, Kavitha questioned the effectiveness of commissions that function only in an advisory capacity. She argued that appointing politicians or retired judges as their heads would achieve little without stronger legal authority.
Kavitha expressed concern that no concrete effort had been made to address the issue even eight decades after Independence. She urged citizens to launch a sustained movement demanding statutory powers for these bodies.
She also called on people to put pressure on MPs and MLAs to bring about the necessary constitutional changes. According to Kavitha, the current system leaves commission recommendations without an effective mechanism for implementation.
SC ST Commissions powers needed to enforce recommendations
Kavitha said hundreds of orders issued by the SC and ST Commissions remained unimplemented. She stressed the need for a binding mechanism that would require authorities to act on the commissions’ recommendations.
Comparing these bodies with the Election Commission, the Competition Commission of India and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Kavitha highlighted differences in their enforcement powers. She argued that bodies with direct enforcement authority could address grievances more promptly and effectively.
The TRS chief maintained that stronger legal powers were necessary for commissions to deliver meaningful justice. She called for constitutional changes that would make their recommendations enforceable rather than merely advisory.