New Delhi, Sept. 6 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed all states to appoint a senior police officer for each district to serve as the nodal officer to ensure that cow vigilantism groups do not take law into their own hands.
A bench headed by chief justice Dipak Misra also directed the Centre to obtain instructions and apprise the court on what steps were being taken by them to prevent the problem.
Senior advocate Indira Jaisingh, appearing for one of the petitioners, told the court that there was need for the Centre and states to cooperate and coordinate on the issue to ensure that vigilantism does not grow. “The statement by the Centre in July saying that it is a state subject is not sufficient. They cannot wash their hands off the national issue and say that it is a law and order problem,” Jaisingh said.
She cited a total of 66 instances of lynching which resulted in the death of women and minors after the Centre had made the statement.
Tushar Mehta, additional solicitor general, appearing for three states—Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra—said that an FIR must be filed in such cases and law must be allowed to take its own course.
The court was hearing three public interest litigation cases, challenging certain laws that shield vigilante cow protection groups in the country.
Three individuals—Martin Macwan, a Dalit rights activist, Mohanbhai Hamir Bhai Bedva, an alleged victim of such violence, and Tehseen Poonawalla, an activist associated with the Congress—moved the apex court last year.
The Centre on 21 July told the Supreme Court that cow vigilantism was a state subject and it did not have a role to play. “Government does not support any kind of vigilantism in this manner,” Ranjit Kumar, solicitor general, appearing for the Centre, had told the court.
The court had intervened in the ongoing controversy over cow protection and sought responses from the Centre and six states on the issue within three weeks in April.
The six states are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Except for Congress-ruled Karnataka, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in other states.
On 16 July, ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent out a warning to cow vigilantes, saying that strict action would be taken against those who were indulging in violence.
The matter will be heard next on 22 September.