SC asks states to comply with order on mob lynchings

NEWDELHI:The Supreme Court on Monday asked all states and Union Territories to comply with its directions on curbing cow vigilantism and mob lynching, and said that people should realise that such incidents would invite the “wrath of law”.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra took note of the fact that eight states, including Mizoram, Telangana, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Delhi, are yet to file reports indicating the compliance of its July 17 verdict giving a slew of directions to deal with mob violence and cow vigilantism.

“People must realise that mob violence and taking of law into the hands will invite wrath of law,” said the bench, also comprising justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud.

It granted last opportunity to eight states and UTs to file their compliance affidavits within three days and listed the PIL of Congress leader Tehseen Poonawala after two weeks.

The bench also sought the response of the Centre on the compliance of its one of the directions that had asked it and all the states to run an awareness campaign on TV, radio and electronic and print media against mob lynching and cow vigilantism.

The Centre had earlier informed the bench that in pursuance of the apex court verdict, an empowered Group of Ministers has been set up to consider framing a law on mob violence.

Poonawala, in his plea, had said 28-year-old dairy farmer Rakbar Khan was attacked by a group of cow vigilantes in Lalwandi village of Ramgarh district

People must realise that mob violence and taking of law into the hands will invite wrath of law SUPREME COURT Bench

in Rajasthan on July 20, three days after the apex court had delivered a detailed verdict.

Khan, a resident of Haryana, and his friend Aslam were transporting two cows to Kolgaon through a forest area when a mob had attacked them on the alleged grounds they were taking the animals for slaughter, the plea said.

While Aslam managed to survive by hiding in the fields, the crowd killed Rakbar, it said, adding that there was a considerable delay in taking the deceased to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Poonawala has sought initiation of contempt proceedings against Rajasthan officials, including the chief secretary and the police chief, for alleged violation of the top court’s verdict in the lynching case.

The SC had directed the Centre, states and UTs to give wide publicity to its directions given on the verdict on mob violence. It asked them to put the information on measures to curb the mob violence on their websites .