India News

SC asks states to nominate officers to check cow vigilantism

Published

9 years ago

September 6, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Centre asked to specify its role under Article 256 on what it can do to ask states to rein in gau rakshaks

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, asked all States and Union Territories to appoint district-wise nodal police officers to crackdown and prosecute cow vigilante groups who engage in violence and mayhem.

Four BJP-ruled States of Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Gujarat accepted the apex court’s suggestion to appoint dedicated nodal police officers in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to prevent cow vigilantes or gau rakshaks, as they call themselves, from “taking the law or becoming the law unto themselves.”

During proceedings in the case being heard by the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and Amitava Roy, senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Tushar Gandhi, an intervener in the case, said that the state has a great responsibility to ensure that FIRs be lodged and also ensure that people do not take law into their own hands. She submitted that the Union of India should issue notifications and guidelines for the same.

The Bench directed that the officers appointed by the states to check cow vigilantism should take prompt action in any case of deviation. It was also directed that the states should submit to the court, within a week, the names of the officers who have been nominated for the purpose.

Indira Jaising also raised the issue of inspection of vehicles on highways. This will also have to be taken care of by the states. The affidavit will have to be filed by the chief secretary of the state after consultation with the respective inspector general of police.

Over the past three years, India has seen a sharp rise in incidents of mob lynchings and cow vigilantism especially directed towards Muslims and Dalits. Jaising argued that the Centre cannot shrug its constitutional responsibility as enshrined under Article 256 to instruct the States to take necessary legal steps to save innocent human lives from fury of lynch mobs. The Bench then asked the Centre to respond to Jaising’s submission “in the spirit of co-operative federalism.”

The court has directed Additional Solicitor General Mehta to take instructions from the Centre, to specify its role under Article 256, as sought by Jaising, and the suo moto steps that the Centre would take to prevent any future incidents of violence.

Arguing that several incidents of lynch mobs and gau rakshaks attacking citizens had occurred along highways, Jaising also said that the States should take steps to initiate highway patrolling.

The court directed Chief Secretaries and the Directors General of Police of all states to consult each other and respond to the court on this issue while the Centre has also been asked to indicate its views.

The court posted the case for hearing on September 21.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Related Topics:Cow Vigilantism Supreme Court

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Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani appointed as India’s next Chief of Defence Staff

Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani has been appointed as India’s next Chief of Defence Staff and will succeed General Anil Chauhan later this month.

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2 hours ago

May 9, 2026

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Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani appointed as India’s next Chief of Defence Staff

The Centre has appointed Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani as India’s next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), succeeding General Anil Chauhan, whose tenure will conclude on May 30.

According to the government announcement, Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani will also serve as Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Military Affairs from the date he assumes charge and until further orders.

Lt Gen Subramani is currently serving as the Military Adviser at the National Security Council Secretariat, a role he has held since September 2025. Before that, he served as Vice Chief of the Army Staff between July 2024 and July 2025.

A senior officer from the Garhwal Rifles, he was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1985 and has held several important operational and command positions during his military career. He has commanded formations in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and along the western front.

Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He also studied at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in the United Kingdom and the National Defence College in New Delhi. He holds a Master’s degree from King’s College London and an MPhil in Defence Studies from the University of Madras.

The post of Chief of Defence Staff was created in 2020 to improve coordination among the Army, Navy and Air Force. General Bipin Rawat became India’s first CDS, followed by General Anil Chauhan in 2022. Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani will become the country’s third CDS after assuming office.

India News

Bengal to get BJP’s first CM as Suvendu Adhikari set to take oath today

Suvendu Adhikari will be sworn in as West Bengal Chief Minister, marking the BJP’s first government formation in the state.

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3 hours ago

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Suvendu Adhikari is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, becoming the first leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party to head the state government.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata and is expected to witness the presence of several senior BJP leaders and supporters from across the state.

Adhikari was unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party leader after the party secured a decisive victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. His appointment marks a significant political change in the state, where the BJP is forming the government for the first time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several Union ministers are expected to attend the ceremony. Reports also indicate that the oath event has been planned on a large public scale to underline the BJP’s breakthrough in Bengal politics.

Adhikari emerged as one of the BJP’s key faces in Bengal after defeating Mamata Banerjee in the high-profile Nandigram contest in 2021 and later consolidating his position within the party’s state leadership.

Security arrangements have been tightened around the oath venue, while party workers have gathered in large numbers ahead of the ceremony. The event is being viewed as a landmark moment in West Bengal’s political history.

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PM Modi to lead Somnath Amrit Parv celebrations with grand roadshow in Gujarat

PM Modi is set to visit Somnath Temple in Gujarat for the Somnath Amrit Parv celebrations marking 75 years of the temple’s reconstruction, with a roadshow and religious ceremonies planned.

Published

17 hours ago

May 8, 2026

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the Somnath Temple in Gujarat on May 11 to lead the ‘Somnath Amrit Parv’ celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the temple’s reconstruction.

According to state ministers and senior officials, the Prime Minister will take part in religious rituals, lead a public roadshow, and address a gathering during the celebrations.

The visit comes months after PM Modi attended the Somnath Swabhiman Parv held earlier this year, which commemorated 1,000 years since the first recorded attack on the temple in 1026.

Grand roadshow and cultural programmes planned

Officials said PM Modi will arrive in Somnath from Jamnagar and lead a one-kilometre roadshow from the Triveni Helipad to the statue of Veer Hamirji Gohil. The procession is expected to feature cultural dance performances from different Indian states along with displays representing the 12 Jyotirlingas.

A Suryakiran Air Show and a flower petal shower over the temple spire are also planned during the event. The Prime Minister is expected to be welcomed by Rishikumars and members of local communities dressed in traditional attire.

During his visit, PM Modi will perform rituals including Kumbhabhishek, Dhvaja Puja and Mahapuja at the temple before addressing a public gathering at Sadbhavna Ground.

Somnath reconstruction anniversary

The celebrations mark 75 years since the reconstructed Somnath Temple was inaugurated in 1951 in the presence of India’s first President Rajendra Prasad. The reconstruction effort after Independence was led under the vision of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and supported by leaders including K.M. Munshi.

State minister Jitu Vaghani said the temple’s restoration remains a symbol of national self-respect and resilience.

After the Somnath events, PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Vadodara to inaugurate the Sardardham Educational Complex. Preparations are also underway for a possible roadshow in the city later in the day.