The Supreme Court has sternly set aside orders from the Orissa High Court and trial courts that mandated "cleaning police stations" as a bail condition for Dalit and tribal citizens.
Calling the practice a grave violation of human rights and personal dignity, the bench, comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Jaimalya Bagchi, condemned the move as an expression of systemic caste discrimination.
The Supreme Court questioned the blatant inequality of such mandates, noting that wealthy defendants face no similar requirements.
Emphasizing the constitutional mandate for a caste-free, egalitarian society, the bench ruled these conditions—often imposed on activists protesting mining—as entirely unacceptable and detrimental to the judiciary's integrity.
This rebuke follows reports of approximately 50 such orders in the last six months, including a May 2025 directive forcing a petitioner to clean the Kashipur police station.
The Supreme Court underscored that the judiciary must act as a guardian of constitutional values, not a perpetrator of social degradation. By overturning these rulings, the apex court has firmly reaffirmed that justice cannot be served through humiliation.