Appoint cops to curb cow vigilantism: SC to state governments

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday was severely critical of cow vigilantism and directed all state governments to appoint nodal police officers in every district to prevent the cow vigilante groups from resorting to violence and taking the law into their hands.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Amitav Roy and A.M. Khanwilkar said that states shall nominate a senior police officer, preferably of the rank of deputy superintendent of police, to ensure that vigilante groups don’t “behave as if they are a law unto themselves and take prompt action and prosecute such people with quite promptitude”.

On behalf of the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana, additional solicitor-general Tushar Mehta told the court that the task force as suggested by the court would be set up to stop cow vigilantism. The court gave state governments one week to submit their reports on nomination of police officers and the instructions issued to them. Chief secretaries and police chiefs of the states have been tasked with carrying out these directions. After hearing senior counsel Kapil Sibal, Indira Jaising and others, the bench observed that although the Centre did make a statement in July that it did not support vigilantism and that the state governments are required to take action, some mechanism will have to be put in place to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

Ms Jaising, appearing for journalist Tushar Gandhi, brought to the court’s notice 66 alleged incidents of mob lynching and assaults in the name of cow vigilantism after the Centre’s undertaking in the court.

The CJI told the ASG, “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.”