{"id":198631,"date":"2018-07-17T17:52:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-17T12:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=198631"},"modified":"2019-05-24T17:51:14","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T12:21:14","slug":"cow-vigilantism-lynching-no-citizen-can-assault-the-human-dignity-of-another-such-an-action-would-comatose-the-majesty-of-law-sc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2018\/07\/17\/cow-vigilantism-lynching-no-citizen-can-assault-the-human-dignity-of-another-such-an-action-would-comatose-the-majesty-of-law-sc\/","title":{"rendered":"Cow Vigilantism\/Lynching| No citizen can assault the human dignity of another, such an action would comatose the majesty of law: SC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018No act of a citizen is to be adjudged by any kind of community under the guise of protectors of law\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Supreme Court: <\/strong>The Bench comprising of CJ Dipak Misra, A.M. Khanwilkar and Dr D.Y. Chandrachud JJ., addressing with enormous sensitivity\u00a0the issue of lynching issued directions covering the arena of preventive, remedial and punitive measures in order to curb the tumultuous dark clouds of vigilantism.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court stated that administration of law is conferred on the law enforcing agencies and no one is allowed to take law into his own hands on the fancy of his \u2018shallow spirit of judgment<\/strong>\u2019. The pivotal issues which required the primary dealing of the Apex Court were the issues leading to cow vigilantism and other incidents of lynching targeting violence under the garb of self-assumed protectors of law.<\/p>\n

Referring to the suggestions stated by learned Senior Counsel Sanjay R. Hegde in\u00a0an earlier petition, in which the petitioner had sought immediate and necessary action against the cow protection groups indulging in violence, the Court noted Sanjay R. Hegde\u2019s submission, that no individual or vigilante group can engage in an act of lynching on the basis of a perception that a crime has been committed. He had also placed reliance on Shakti Vahini v. Union of India<\/em>, 2018 SCC OnLine SC 275<\/b><\/a>. <\/strong>Further, Learned Senior Counsel Ms Indira Jaisingh urged that immediate action is warranted in law against the self-styled vigilantes taking law into them.<\/p>\n

While, noting the fact that \u2018Vigilantism cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be given room to take shape, for it is absolutely a perverse notion<\/em><\/strong>\u2019 the Supreme Court proceeded to issue the following guidelines, among others, under the following heads:<\/p>\n