BharatNotes Atrocity
noun (countable and uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
No appeal to political expediency can absolve a state of its duty to investigate and prosecute the atrocities committed against civilians, for impunity for such crimes corrodes the very legitimacy of the constitutional order.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
atrocious (adj), atrociously (adv), atrociousness (n), atrocities (n pl), atrocity (n)
Root
Latin ater (black, dark) + -ox (quality suffix) → atrox (fierce, savage) → atrocitas (cruelty).
Etymology
From Latin atrocitatem (nominative atrocitas, "cruelty, harshness, frightfulness"), from atrox ("fierce, savage, cruel"), from ater ("black, dark") + -ox (a suffix conveying appearance or quality).
Memory Hook
Hear "ATROCIOUS" inside ATROCITY, and trace it to Latin atrox (fierce) from ater 'black' — a deed so cruel it leaves a black, fiery mark on conscience.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
In Indian law, an offence committed against a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 exists because ordinary criminal law was found inadequate, and its distinctive architecture is the examinable part: it defines specific caste-based offences, provides Special Courts and Special Public Prosecutors, mandates relief and rehabilitation for victims, and bars anticipatory bail. That last provision was diluted by the Supreme Court in 2018, which required a preliminary inquiry before an FIR and prior approval for arrest. Parliament reversed the dilution the same year by inserting Section 18A to restore the original position, and the Court upheld that amendment in Prathvi Raj Chauhan in February 2020, while clarifying that the bar does not apply where the complaint discloses no prima facie case. That sequence of judicial dilution, legislative reversal and judicial acceptance is a model illustration of the dialogue between Court and Parliament.
Don’t Confuse It With
An atrocity under the 1989 Act is an offence against a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe committed by a person outside those groups, so the identity of both parties forms part of the definition. Untouchability is separately abolished by Article 17 and punished under the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955. Anticipatory bail is pre-arrest bail, barred under the Act subject to the prima facie exception. A Special Court is the designated forum for trial, intended to reduce delay.
Hindi Meaning
अत्याचार (atyāchār); अनुसूचित जाति और अनुसूचित जनजाति for the two categories.
Common Questions
- Why was a separate law needed for atrocities?
- Because ordinary criminal law proved inadequate, so the 1989 Act defines specific caste-based offences and adds Special Courts, victim relief and a bar on anticipatory bail.
- What happened to the bar on anticipatory bail?
- The Supreme Court diluted the Act's safeguards in 2018, Parliament reversed this by inserting Section 18A the same year, and the Court upheld the amendment in 2020 subject to a prima facie exception.
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