936 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Code. If two people engage themselves in doing a wrong to a third person, well, that is conspiracy, This social boycott is brought about by the concurrence of the majority of the people and is also a conspiracy and could be recognised as an offence. I do not know why my hon. friend forgot that very important fact in this matter.
The third omission—I do not know whether it is an omission or not, I speak subject to correction. I wish the Law Minister was here because it is purely a legal matter. But there is no doubt about it that our Home Minister was a Law Minister in the beginning and certainly has been a practising lawyer and he could not be unfamiliar with what I am saying. Now the question that I ask myself is, are these offences mentioned in this Bill compoundable or non-compoundable ? The Bill says nothing about it. It is completely silent. The other day when we were discussing the Report of the Commissioner for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, hon. Members will recall that the Commissioner drew pointed attention to the fact that the untouchables were not able to prosecute then persecutors because of want of economic and financial means and consequently they .were ever ready to compromise with the offenders whenever the offenders wanted that the offence should be compromised. The fact was that the law remained a dead letter and those in whose favour it was enacted are unable to put it in action and those against whom it is to be put in action are able to silence the victim. That has been the conclusion of the Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Such a situation is not to be tolerated. The offences must not be made compoundable if the offence is to be brought home to the guilty party. If the guilty parties by compounding the offence either by payment of a small sum or something like that are able to get away they can continue their career of harassment of the untouchables until the moon and the sun are there and untouchability would never end.
Therefore, compounding of the offence is a grave matter and a grave issue and it must have been expressly dealt with. I do not know what the intention of my hon. friend is but in order that we may be able to judge by reference to other provisions in other laws, I shall refer to section 345 of the