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Talking tough, the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked all states to take stern steps to stop violence in the name of cow protection by appointing a senior police officer as nodal officer in every district within a week and act promptly to check cow vigilantes from behaving like they are "law unto themselves".
Such acts "must stop", directed a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra which asked the states to form a dedicated task force in every district to stop such acts and directed their chief secretaries to file a status report giving details of actions taken to prevent incidents of cow vigilantism.
The bench, also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar, passed this order while issuing notice to the Centre and others on a PIL filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
Welcoming the SC’s decision, Tehseen and Shehzad Poonawala, petitioners in another PIL against cow vigilantism said that the order would be considered a victory for the “very causes that even Gauri Lankesh had been fighting for.”
Tehseen Poonawala said:
Shehzad Poonawala added:
Meanwhile, condemning cow vigilantes for taking the law in their hands, the bench said that such acts could not be permitted.
"The people should not take law into their hands and they should not behave as if they were law unto themselves. This must stop. Such acts are not permissible," the bench said in a stern message.
The bench asked the Centre to respond to the submission that it could issue directions under Article 256 (obligation of states and Union) of the Constitution to all state governments on issues related to law and order.
"Steps have to be taken to stop this. Some kind of planned action is required so that vigilantism does not grow.
Efforts have to be made to stop such vigilantism," the bench said, adding "how will they (states) do it, is their business but this must stop."
The court also asked state governments to ensure highway patrolling after it was pointed out that such incidents took place on highways on the pretext that vehicles are carrying beef.
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