THE Supreme Court has told various state governments to apprise it within six weeks of the action taken in cases of mob lynching and cow vigilantism. The apex court is hearing a plea filed by a women's organisation, which has sought directions to states to take immediate steps in accordance with the 2018 court ruling in the Tehseen Poonawalla case to effectively deal with violence perpetrated by cow vigilantes against Muslims. The petitioner has pointed out that in Madhya Pradesh, an alleged lynching had taken place, but the FIR was registered against the victim on the charge of cow slaughter. The court, however, has made it clear that the relief sought cannot be religion-specific.

Activist Poonawalla had asked the court to intervene for checking the increasing incidents of cow vigilantism. Observing that mob justice in any form was opposed to the principles of a legal system and inconceivable in a civilised society, the court had issued a set of guidelines, including the trial of cases in fast-track courts and the appointment of a nodal officer in each district to curb such incidents. Notably, the new criminal statute, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, has incorporated murder or 'grievous hurt' by five or more persons on specified grounds as a separate category; these grounds include race, caste, sex, language or personal beliefs. The punishment for this heinous crime ranges from life imprisonment to death sentence.

It is worrisome that the mob mayhem has not abated despite repeated advisories issued by the Centre to states and UTs for prompt and strict action against miscreants taking the law into their own hands in the name of cow protection. These vigilantes, some of whom double as extortionists, are emboldened by political patronage and the laxity or bias of law enforcement agencies. With 'police' and 'public order' being state subjects, state governments need to be proactive about cracking down on the culprits and ensuring that the victims are not treated as criminals.