(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) "atrocity" means an offence punishable under section 3;
(b) "Code" means the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974);
(bb) "dependent" means the spouse, children, parents, brother and sister of the victim, who are dependent wholly or mainly on such victim for his support and maintenance;
(bc) "economic boycott" means a refusal to deal with, work for hire or do business with other person, or to render other customary service;
(c) "Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes" shall have the meanings assigned to them respectively under clause (24) and clause (25) of article 366 of the Constitution;
(d) "Special Court" means a Court of Session specified as a Special Court in section 14;
(da) "Special Public Prosecutor" means a Public Prosecutor specified as a Special Public Prosecutor or an advocate referred to in section 15;
(eb) "social boycott" means a refusal to permit a person to render to other person or receive from him any customary service or to abstain from social relations;
(ec) "victim" means any individual who falls within the definition of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 2 and who has suffered or experienced physical, mental, psychological, emotional or monetary harm or property damage.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 2
Section 2 provides the interpretive architecture of the Act, defining core statutory concepts including 'atrocity', 'Code', 'Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes', and 'Special Court'.
Crucially, Section 2(2) incorporates definitions from the Code of Criminal Procedure (now BNSS) and the Indian Penal Code (now BNS) for terms not explicitly defined herein, ensuring seamless procedural and substantive harmony.
The 2015 Amendment Act introduced extensive definitions for 'dependent', 'economic boycott', 'exclusive Special Court', 'forest rights', and 'victim', broadening the ambit of protected interests to encompass social and economic sabotage in addition to physical violence.
The statutory definitions establish that the Act is not merely a penal enactment but a remedial charter enforcing constitutional morality. Any attempt to dilute statutory terms through restrictive judicial interpretation is precluded by the specific definitions incorporated under the 2015 amendment.