Centre to come up with anti-mob lynching law in this Parliament session

By Sumit Saxena

New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) A year after the Supreme Court directed the government to enact a law to deal with the rising cases of mob lynching in the country, the Centre has worked out such a legislation and is likely to introduce it in the ongoing session of Parliament, according to sources.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had asked the Law Ministry to draw out a draft law after carefully examining rising incidents of violent lynching sparked by rumours spread on social media platforms, each of which have no less than 200 million users in the country.

Referring to the Supreme Court directive, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday asked the Centre why it was delaying the enactment of the law.

"I would like to ask Home Minister (Amit Shah), why a law on mob lynching is not being made? Last year, the Supreme Court had asked the government to make a law on mob lynching. If you make all SC's orders into laws, why not this?" Owaisi said in the Lok Sabha.

Rajasthan, which has witnessed over a dozen cases of lynching by the mob over the past two years, has announced plans to come up with a law against mob lynching.

Earlier this month, the Uttar Pradesh Law Commission also came up with a draft Bill recommending harsh punishment, including life imprisonment, for people involved in cases of mob lynching.

According to a source, the law will force the police to take effective action in incidents of mob lynching and to also act tough on curbing dissemination of information that is dangerous to social harmony, especially videos carrying hate messages.

(Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in)