Ex-CJI RM Lodha condemns killings over cow protection, inter-religious marriage

On violence in the name of inter-religious marriages, he asked: “Should religion be a factor when two adults fall in love?”

He said: “People have been killed in the name of love jihad”. He said “the violators of human rights are not accountable to society” but that “there is laxity in the police action. This question is shaking me every day.”

The former CJI also touched upon the prolonged row over the film Padmavati and said a movie was an artiste’s creation, but filmmakers were threatened and sets destroyed. “Do we really value human rights?” he asked.

“Despite adequate laws, constitutional safeguards and strong judiciary, we are not able to achieve the goals of protection of human rights,” Lodha said.

He said the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had become a toothless tiger and had no true impact on achieving human rights. He called for a robust mechanism to protect human rights in the country.