G. B. Patnaik, C. J.

1. In these five applications the prayer of the petitioners is to quash the F. I. R. and for that purpose the extraordinary equitable jurisdiction of this court has been invoked. The aforesaid prayer has been made on the ground that the allegations in the F. I. R. do not constitute any offence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of atrocities) Act, 1989 (hereinafter to be referred to as the Act) to invoke the jurisdiction of this Court under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution. The validity of some of the provisions of the Act has been challenged and to our utter surprise we find that while entertaining these applications for hearing, the Court has passed orders granting anticipatory bail to the persons named as accusec persons in the F. I. R. Though the validity of the Act has been assailed which is a Central Act but the Union of India has not been arrayed as a respondent in four of the cases and those cases could be summarily rejected on that score. But since in one of the cases the Union of India has been arrayed as ,a party respondent. We, therefore, entertain the arguments advanced by the counsel for the petitioner on t