Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind moves SC against increase in cases of mob lynching, particularly by cow vigilante groups

BILKULONLINE

New Delhi, Oct 20: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has moved an application before Supreme Court against alarming increase in the cases of mob lynching, particularly by cow protection vigilante groups.

A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai, Aravind Kumar, and Prashant Kumar Mishra on Friday said that it will consider the impleadment application filed by the Islamic scholars organisation in the pending proceedings.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared on petitioners’ behalf, urged that all state governments be added as party in the PIL filed by the National Federation of Indian Women.

The application of impleadment filed through advocate Sugandha Anand referred to a recent incident where an unruly and frenzy mob of four Hindu men attacked a 23-year-old Muslim physiotherapist from Madhya Pradesh after she was coming home from work.

“It is submitted that these are just some incidents that have been highlighted here, but these incidents of mob violence, cow vigilantism have been on the rise and it seems that they will continue to haunt our secular, multireligious fabric of nation, unless strictly dealt with by police, state and Central government,” the application stated.

In July, the top court had issued notice to the Centre and the Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Maharashtra governments against the alarming rise in cases of lynchings and mob violence done against Muslims, particularly “done by cow vigilantes”.

The public interest litigation had said that the lynching and mob violence should be seen as the result of the general narrative of ostracisation of the minority communities through false propaganda that is being spread by means of public events where hate speeches are made targeting the minorities as well as through social media channels, news channels, and films.

Further, it had stated that the state has a “sacrosanct duty to protect its citizens from unruly elements and perpetrators of orchestrated lynching and vigilantism with utmost sincerity and true commitment”.

“The positive duty of the State to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all individuals and the primary responsibility of the State to foster a secular, pluralistic and multiculturalist social order, have been recognised by this Court in several judgments,” the plea had stated.

The matter is likely to be taken up for further hearing on December 8.