SC declines urgent hearing on plea against states on mob lynching

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to give an urgent listing to a petition seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against states for their alleged failure in curbing mob lynching.

The bench comprising of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose declined the urgent listing on a petition filed by lawyer Sajan Parashar, who had contended that the apex court judgement of July 17 last year on the issue of mob lynching had not been complied with by several states.

The court had then said that "horrendous acts of mobocracy" cannot be allowed to overrun the law of the land and issued a slew of guidelines to deal with mob lynching and cow vigilantism.

The apex court had ordered the appointment of nodal police officers in all districts, efficient patrolling in areas where there was a possibility of such incidents, and the completion of trial in these cases within six months.