No lynching can be tolerated, says SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said no mob lynching or violence in the name of cow vigilantism can be tolerated while reserving orders on a bunch of petitions demanding guidelines for States/UTs to curb such incidents.

With the Centre claiming such incidents to be primarily a law and order situation to be dealt by States, the Court felt the need to pass elaborate orders fixing responsibility on the police officials and district administration to prevent or punish perpetrators of such incidents.

The petitions filed by Tehseen Poonawala and Mahatma Gandhi’s great grandson Tushar Gandhi among others said that lynching by cow vigilantes is continuing despite the top court directing the states to appoint nodal officers in each district.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising who appeared for Gandhi said that this was not merely a law and order problem but the incidents followed a typical pattern and motive with the targets being of a particular creed.

The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said, “Victim of any crime is a victim. Mob lynching in the name of any vigilantism is a crime.”