ORDER :

1. The petitioners in both the petitions call in question registration of a crime in Crime No. 202/2022 for the offences punishable under Section 4 (iii) of Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955, Section 3(1)(p), 3(1)(q), 3(1)(r), 3(1)(za)(E), 3(1)(zc), 3(2) (va), 3(2)(vii) of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act 2015 (for short ‘the Act’) and Section 217 r/w 34 of the IPC, pending on the file of the 2nd Additional District Sessions Court, Dharwad, Hubli-Dharwad.

2. Heard Sri Sunil S. Desai, learned counsel for petitioner in Crl. Pet. No. 103145/2022, Sri Neelendra D. Gunde, learned counsel for petitioner in Crl. Pet. No. 103100/2022 and Sri V.S. Kalasurmath, learned High Court Government Pleader for respondent No. 1-State, in both the petitions. The second respondent – complainant though served, is unrepresented. Therefore, the learned counsel for petitioner and learned High Court Government Pleader are heard.

3. Facts adumbrated in Crl. Pet. No. 103145/2022, are as follows:

The second respondent is the complainant, who was an employee of Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences. Applications were called for the post of Associate Professor by the Dharwad Institute