Supreme Court gives govt 4 weeks to stop lynchings

The Supreme Court today gave the Centre and states a four-week deadline to implement suggested remedial and punitive measures in order to combat incidents of mob lynchings. It is the duty of the State to ensure law and order in the country, the Supreme Court said, observing that a “mobocracy can’t be allowed in a democracy.”

The Supreme Court also recommended that the government bring legislation that specifically targets lynching. Readers must note that the Supreme Court cannot direct Parliament or the government to draft any law or legislation, it can only recommend doing so.

Among the other observations the court made while hearing a bunch of petitions filed over recent cases of mob lynchings and vigilantism (some of which targetted cattle and cow traders) was: “No citizen can become a law onto himself… State should safeguard democratic and secular ethos. State has to be protect Constitution.”

The Supreme Court also suggested a number of remedial and punitive measures to prevent incidents of lynchings and vigilantism and asked the Centre and states to implement the measures within four weeks. Details regarding what these measures would be were still awaited.