Supreme Court dubs Rajasthan lynching video horrendous

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has dubbed the video depicting the lynching of a Bengali Muslim migrant labourer in Rajasthan as “horrendous” and expressed concern over its widespread circulation on social media and hinting at its willingness to grapple with the issue of rising hate crimes in the country.

A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked senior advocate Indira Jaising, lawyer for the victim’s wife Gulbahar Bibi, to file a better petition and listed the case for hearing on January 29.

Bibi had moved the court seeking a SIT probe into the lynching of the labourer in Rajasthan on December 6 last year in an alleged hate crime. The Muslim labourer was allegedly hacked and burnt alive. His minor nephew allegedly recorded the incident on camera.


Jaising told the court that even trial in such hate crimes was not proper with those espousing such hate crimes often storming the court complex to intimidate all concerned and to show their support for the accused. “They even hoisted an orange flag on a court building,” she said. “Such trials have to be held in an atmosphere of calm. That is part of access to justice.” The accused is currently in judicial custody.

The CJI conceded that there were no laws currently against hate crimes, but urged her to come back with a better petition. Jaising contested this saying there were enough laws to deal with them but agreed to amend her petition.

The senior advocate said that the gruesome video was still circulating and had already been seen by millions. She urged the court to ensure that they were withdrawn from social media.