‘Where is Kanhaiya Lal?’ Supreme Court questions on lynching plea

The accused, Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, were arrested within hours of the incident.

New Delhi:

Tailor Kanhaiya Lal killed Hacked to death outside the store in broad daylight Udaipur, Rajasthan, June 2022 – The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) over the increasing violence against minorities, including those lynched by cow vigilantes group) issued a warning and sought immediate temporary financial relief for these families.

A bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Sandeep Mehta referred to the Kanhaiya Lal murder case and asked the petitioner counsel not to be selective while presenting such cases.

“That tailor in Rajasthan…Kanhaiya Lal…was lynched,” the court asked, with Nizam Pasha, the lawyer representing the petitioner, admitting that there was no mention of the matter.

“You can’t be selective when all the states are…” the court responded.

Kanhaiya Lal was allegedly brutally killed after she shared a post on social media in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who posted about Prophet Muhammad remarks.

Reacting to this, the counsel for the state of Gujarat said that the PIL specifically highlighted the lynching of Muslims only. “This is just a mob lynching of Muslims,” ​​said senior advocate Archana Pathak Dev.

“How can this be selective? The state must protect people in all communities,” she said.

“Yes… you have to make sure that it is not selective at all, if all the states are there…” the court added.

Advocate Pasha retorted, “Only Muslims were lynched… This is a statement of fact.”

“Please be careful what you submit to the court…” Justice Gawai responded.

The matter was subsequently postponed until after the summer vacation, from May 20 to July 7.

In July last year, the court sought action against the women wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Respond to the PIL filed. The PIL claimed that these states have failed to take action despite the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling taking a tough stance on hate crimes, including lynchings of cow vigilantes.

The petitioners argued that “rampant mob violence and lynchings” were due to “widespread ostracism” faced by minority groups and “a natural consequence of state inaction.”

During today’s hearing, the court noted that only Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have responded so far regarding the action taken. The court then gave the other states six weeks to file submissions.

It was against this backdrop that Justice Aravind Kumar inquired about the killing of Kanhaiya Lal.