India, July 25 -- The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the trial against Anand Rai, the whistleblower in the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, in connection with a case under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Rai told the court that the case was designed to silence him for his public activism.

A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and PK Mishra passed the order on Rai's petition, which referred to the case as an instance of "malicious prosecution", and asserted that the safeguards and requirements under the 1989 Act were given a go-by.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Rai along with senior advocate Vivek Tankha, pointed out that no elements of the offences pertaining to the SC/ST Act were prese...