Prevention Of Social Disabilities

Prevention Of Social Disabilities AN ACT TO PREVENT THE IMPOSITION OF SOCIAL DISABILITIES ON ANY PERSONS BY REASON OF THEIR CASTE. Short title. 1. This Act may be cited as the Prevention of Social Disabilities Act, No. 21 of 1957. Imposition of social disabilities on persons by reason of their caste to be an offence. 2. Any person who imposes any social disability on any other person by reason of such other person’s caste shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction after summary trial before a Magistrate, be liable to imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding one hundred rupees. Interpretation. 3. For the purpose of section 2, a person shall be deemed to impose a social disability on any other person- (a) if he prevents or obstructs such other person from or in- (i) being admitted as a student to, or being employed as a teacher in, any educational institution, (ii) entering, or purchasing any article at, any shop, market or fair, (iii) entering, or being served at, any public hotel, resthouse, eating house, restaurant or any other place where articles of food or drink are sold to the public, (iv) obtaining any room for residence in a public hotel, resthouse, or lodging-house, (v) obtaining or using water from any public well, spring, water-pipe or any other source of supply of water to the public, (vi) entering, or obtaining the service provided at, a public hairdressing saloon or laundry, (vii) entering any public cemetery and attending or taking part in any burial or cremation therein, (viii) wearing any kind of clothes, head-covering or foot-covering at any place to which the public have access whether on payment or otherwise, or at the place of such other person’s employment, or in the course of such other person’s trade, business or employment, (ix) being carried as a passenger in any public vehicle or vessel, (b) if he prevents or obstructs such other person, being the follower of any religion, from or in entering, being present in, or worshipping at any place of worship to which followers of that religion have access, or (c) if he, being a public officer, does not perform or exercise any duty or power which he is legally bound to perform or exercise for the benefit of such other person, or (d) if he, being the proprietor of, or a person having control over, or a person employed as a worker in, a place to which the public have access whether on payment or otherwise, subjects such other person to any discrimination.