Observations by the Supreme Court on mob lynching and cow vigilantism

The top court took a grim view of increasing incidents of mob lynchings and violence across the country.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday condemned the increased instances of mob lynching and violence under the garb of cow vigilantism across the country. Urging the Parliament to consider creating a new law to prevent such instances, the top court said such acts need to be curbed with iron hands. 

A three-bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud directed the Central and state government to take preventive and remedial measures to stop lynching incidents in future. 

Here are observations made by the Supreme Court condemning the acts of cow vigilantism:

1. Horrendous acts of mobocracy cannot be allowed to become the new norm and have to be curbed with iron hands.

2. No citizen can take law into their own hands. Self-appointed vigilantes can`t be allowed to take law in their hands.

3. In case of fear and anarchy, the state has to act positively. Violence can't be allowed.

4. It is duty of State to ensure rule of law is preserved and .

5. State Governments to maintain the secular structure and legal system of the country. 

The court`s observations came on a batch of petitions including one by social activist Tehseen S. Poonawalla and Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, seeking to curb violence by cow vigilante groups.

The top court had earlier said that violence by any vigilante group had to be curbed after its attention was drawn to the violence in Maharashtra in which five people were killed in mob violence in the wake of social media posts on alleged child lifters.

Article 256 of the Constitution, which spells the obligation of States and the Union, provides that the Centre could give necessary directions to the States in a given situation, but the Centre had said it could issue advisories to the states as law and order was a state subject.