Gauhati High Court asks Dispur to file affidavit on mob lynching

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has asked the Assam Government to file an affidavit categorically stating steps taken so far by the State to follow the Supreme Court’s guidelines to prevent mob lynching.

A division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice A.S. Bopanna and justice Arup Kumar Goswami while acting on a PIL filed by advocate Seema Bhuyan on Friday asked the State Government to file the affidavit within the next four weeks. Even though senior advocates representing the Assam Government on Friday tried to intimate the court verbally about steps taken so far to follow the Supreme Court’s directives, the high court said mere verbal account was not enough for such serious issue which took several lives in the State.

Advocate Bhuyan filed the PIL seeking the high court’s intervention to prevent increasing number of mob lynching incidents in the State which even claimed lives of two innocent & promising youths in Karbi Anglong district a few months ago.

Taking a serious note on mob lynching incidents across the country the Supreme Court recently asked the Parliament to enact a law to deal with the crime that threatens rule of law and the country’s social fabric.

The Apex Court asked the state governments to designate a senior police officer in each district for taking measures to prevent incidents of mob violence and lynching.

As per the SC directives the States will identify districts, sub-divisions and villages where instances of lynching and mob violence have been reported in the recent past. The nodal officers will bring to the notice of the DGP any inter-district co-ordination issues for devising a strategy to tackle lynching and mob violence related issues.

The SC asked the Central and the state governments to broadcast on radio and television and other media platforms including the official websites that lynching and mob violence shall invite serious consequences. “Curb and stop dissemination of irresponsible and explosive messages, videos and other material on various social media platforms. Register FIR under relevant provisions of law against persons who disseminate such messages,” the SC told the State Governments.

According to the SC directives, cases of lynching and mob violence shall be specifically tried by designated court/fast-track courts earmarked for that purpose in each district. The trial shall preferably be concluded within six months.To set a stern example in cases of mob violence and lynching, the trial court must ordinarily award maximum sentence upon conviction of the accused person. If it is found that a police officer or an officer of the district administration has failed to fulfill his duty, it will be considered as an act of deliberate negligence.

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