Our Correspondent / New Delhi
The Spreme Court on Friday asked the Centre and the States and union territories to give wide publicity on Television, radio and other media platforms to its direction that lynching and mob violence of any kind shall invite serious consequence under the law.
The Apex court in its July 17 judgment had directed the Central and the State Governments to “broadcast on radio and television and other media platforms including the official websites of the Home Department and Police of the States that lynching and mob violence of any kind shall invite serious consequence under the law.”
The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M.Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y.Chandrachud directed the Centre and the State governments to carry out its July 17 direction as Attorney General K.K.Venugopal informed the court that a Group of Ministers (GoM) is considering the nature of legislation to be brought to deal with the crime of lynching by the vigilante groups.
File photo of lynching
The July 17 judgment had recommended to the Parliament, to create a separate offence for lynching and provide adequate punishment for the same as duchy a special law would instil a sense of fear for law amongst the people involved in vigilantism and lynching.
Directing all the State governments and Union Territories to comply with its July 17 direction that provides for preventive, remedial and punitive steps to deal with the lynching crime, the court today said that the Home secretaries of the States and the UTs that would fail to file report on the compliance of its direction would be directed to appear before the court in person.
The court order came as senior counsel Indira Jaising told the court that only nine States and two Union territories have filed the compliance report.
Supreme Court also asked all states and union territories to file reports regarding compliance of its order directing them to take steps to deal with mob lynchings and cow vigilantism.
Apex court said that only 11 of the 29 states and seven union territories have filed reports regarding compliance of its order directing them to take steps to deal with mob lynchings and cow vigilantism.
The Supreme Court Friday took exception to the fact that only 11 of the 29 states and seven union territories have filed reports regarding compliance of its order directing them to take steps to deal with mob lynchings and cow vigilantism.
Besides this, the court sought report from Rajasthan on the steps taken backed with documents against the police officials for delay in taking Rakbar Khan – a victim of lynching to hospital resulting in his death.
Rakbar Khan, 28, was beaten to death by suspected cow vigilantes in Alwar district on July 21.
Rajasthan today informed the court that SHO of the concerned police station has been suspended and would be shortly change-shorted for departmental action. The court was also informed that three constables of the police station have been transferred to police lines.
Jaising today told the court that taking recourse to a provision of the regulations under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the State government was accrediting societies and civil societies who have the policing powers to raid, search and seizure.
As Jaising said that they only wanted the list of the societies that have been accredited under the controversial provision, the court asked her to make an application and also the said Rule has not been challenged.