In the wake of an alarming rise in the incidence of mob lynching across the country, social activist Harsh Mander filed a Public Interest Litigation petition in the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday, 26 June, seeking to check the same, reported Live Law.
Mander’s petition seeks implementation of the directions issued by Supreme Court in 2018 in Tehseen Poonawalla’s case in order to curb mob lynching.
In the judgment given by the Supreme Court on 17 July 2018, the apex court observed “rising intolerance and growing polarisation expressed through a spate of incidents of mob violence cannot be permitted to become the normal way of life or the normal state of law and order,” according to Live Law. It had further directed states to take specific preventive, punitive and remedial measures to control lynching.
The top court had also proposed a special saw to deal with lynching and the appointment of a nodal officer in each district.
In the latest incident on mob lynching, a 24-year-old man named Tabrez Ansari was allegedly beaten for hours on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle and in the purported video of the incident, can be seen being forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram"” and “Jai Hanuman.” He succumbed to death on Saturday, 22 June.
The shocking incident has been widely condemned, with Congress President Rahul Gandhi deeming the incident a “blot on humanity” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally breaking his silence on the issue in the Parliament.
What Does the Petition Seek?
Mander's petition seeks a compensation scheme for the victim in accordance with the provisions of Section 357A of CrPC, according to Live Law.
The petition also seeks to designate a court in each district for the trial of cases on a day-to-day basis and for their conclusion within six months from the date of cognisance.
The petition also stated that broadcasting incidents of mob violence on television, radio and other media platforms and on the official website of the Home Department and the Jharkhand Police will invite serious consequences.
Further, it said that all families of lynching victims should receive commensurate compensation.
(With inputs from Live Law)
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