Publicise steps taken to curb cow vigilantism: SC

‘ People must realise mob violence will invite wrath of law’

The Supreme Court Monday asked the Centre, all states and Union Territories to give wide publicity to the directions given in July this year to curb cow vigilantism as people must realise that mob violence and taking law into their hands will invite “wrath of law”.

A three- judge bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A. M. Kanwilkar and D. Y. Chandrachud gave this direction on petitions filed by Tehseen Poonawala and others dealing with “cow vigilantism”.

The top court also granted a week’s time to eight states and Union Territories to comply with its directions on curbing cow vigilantism and mob lynching.

The bench 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 within three days and directing listing of the petitions after two weeks. It asked them to put the information on measures to curb the mob violence on their websites so that people know the recourse available to them.

When senior counsel

Indira Jaising submitted that one of the directions given to the Centre and states with regard to giving wide publicity in television and radio had not been complied with, attorneygeneral K. K. Venugopal informed the court that steps would be taken for giving publicity within a week.