Combating Mob Lynching: Supreme Court Mandates Comprehensive Guidelines to Uphold the Rule of Law

sketch of the Supreme Court of India
Case
TEHSEEN S. POONAWALLA v. UNION OF INDIA (Supreme Court of India, 17-07-2018)
Law
Code of Criminal Procedure, Constitution of India, Indian Penal Code.

Highlights of the Judgment:

  • Comprehensive examination of the constitutional imperative to uphold the rule of law against mob violence and extrajudicial lynching.
  • Detailed formulation of preventive, remedial, and punitive guidelines for State and Central governments to curb vigilante activities.
  • Interpretation of state obligations under Article 21 and the overarching duty to maintain public order and foster secularism.
  • Judicial recommendations directed toward the legislature for enacting a specialized penal statute addressing the menace of lynching.