Supreme Court directs Center, states to tackle cow vigilantism

Although late, the Supreme Court has directed the Centre and state Governments to take effective steps to stop cow vigilantes.

The apex court has asked each state to appoint a senior police officer in each district as a nodal officer to take action against cow vigilantism and has asked the state chief secretaries to file a detailed report on actions taken to curb cow vigilantism. Each state has been given seven days to form task forces to take action against cow vigilantes.

The court was hearing a plea by Indira Jaisingh who had sought the top court’s intervention to stop cow vigilantes, also known as gau rakshaks. The plea stated that cow vigilantism has not stopped despite Centre’s warning that people cannot take law into their own hands.

ASG Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, told the court that a law was there to take care of any kind of untoward incidents involving cow vigilantism.

“We know laws are there, but what action has been taken? You can take planned action so that vigilantism does not grow,” CJI Dipak Misra told the Centre. The Supreme Court has also sought the Centre’s reply on whether it has the responsibility under the Constitution to direct states on actions to curb cow vigilantism. The Supreme Court had earlier asked the Centre and the states not to protect any kind of vigilantism and sought their response on incidents of cow vigilantism.

The Supreme Court, on April 7, sought the response of six states on a plea by activist Tehseen S Poonawalla, asking for action against cow vigilantes who were allegedly indulging in violence and committing atrocities against Dalits and minorities.