Supreme Court gives states one week to implement mob lynching order

On July 17, the apex court while decrying incidents of lynchings had asked the Parliament to come up with a law to deter such crimes, saying “the horrendous acts of mobocracy cannot be permitted to inundate the law of the land”.

Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that it has constituted a Empowered Group of Ministers “for considering the nature of the legislation to be passed” to comply with the court’s direction.

The bench asked states and union territories to give wide publicity to its orders and to put it up on their websites so as to spread the awareness.

While hearing a plea by Congress worker Tehseen Poonawala, the court also directed the Rajasthan government to file an affidavit explaining the action it had taken against police personnel facing allegations in the case of lynching of one Rakbar Khan in Alwar on July 20.

Rakbar Khan alias Akbar and his associate Aslam were reportedly lynched by villagers on suspicion that they were cow smugglers. While Aslam managed to escape, Rakbar died. The post-mortem report said that he died of ante-mortem injuries. There were allegations that the police personnel delayed in taking Khan to the hospital.

Following the incident, Poonawal and activist Tushar Gandhi had approached the court with a contempt petition against the Rajasthan government.

Appearing for the state, Additional Solicitor General said the concerned Station House Officer had been suspended and three policemen transferred. Departmental action was also being contemplated, he added.