The Supreme Court on Tuesday condemned the growing incidents of mob lynching across the country and asked Parliament to consider enacting a new law to effectively deal with incidents. “Horrendous acts of mobocracy” cannot be allowed to become a new norm, it said.
Asserting that no citizen can take law into their own hands, the apex court said, “It is duty of State to ensure rule of law is preserved.”
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A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also passed a slew of directions to provide “preventive, remedial and punitive measures” to deal with offences like mob violence and cow vigilantism.
“Horrendous acts of mobocracy cannot be allowed to become new norm and has to be curbed with iron hands. No citizen can take law into their own hands. In case of fear and anarchy, the state has to act positively. Violence can’t be allowed,” it said.
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The bench, which also comprised Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice D Y Chandrachud asked the legislature to consider enacting a new penal provision to deal with offences of mob violence and provide deterrent punishment to such offenders.
The top court passed the order on a plea seeking formulation of guidelines to curb such violent incidents in the country.
The bench has now posted the PIL filed by Tushar Gandhi, Tehseen Poonawalla and others for further hearing on August 28 and asked the Centre and state governments to take steps to deal with such offences in pursuance of its directions.
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(With agency inputs)