SC declines urgent hearing on plea against states for failing to curb lynching

The Supreme Court Thursday declined urgent hearing on a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against some states for their alleged failure in curbing lynching incidents.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose said there was no urgency to hear the contempt plea.

The bench did not allow the submission of a lawyer that the apex court judgements, laying down guidelines to deal with lynching and cow vigilantism incidents in the country, have not been followed by various state governments and such incidents are rising.

Refusing urgent hearing, the bench observed that 50 per cent statements made at bar by lawyers seeking urgent listing of cases are found to be incorrect.

On July 17 last year, a bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra had 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 lynching and cow vigilantism.

It had then also asked the Centre to consider enacting a new law to sternly deal with such incidents.