Supreme Court Lawyers Condemn Threatening of MP Judge Who Sentenced Cow Vigilantes
New Delhi: A collective of Supreme Court advocates has condemned the threatening and vilification of a Madhya Pradesh judge for sentencing seven cow vigilantes to life in prison for lynching a cattle transporter, and called for the independence of the judiciary to be upheld.
In a statement issued Wednesday (July 1), the Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association (SCAORA) ‘unequivocally condemned’ the campaign against Narmadapuram district judge Tabassum Khan, noting that “such conduct strikes at the very foundation of judicial independence and the rule of law”.
“If judges are made to fear personal consequences for decisions rendered in accordance with law, it can have a serious negative impact on the independence and functioning of the district courts,” SCAORA said. The correct way of challenging a judgment is by filing an appeal in the higher courts, “not through intimidation, vilification or threats against judges”, the association said.
This independence is crucial because district courts make up the “backbone” of the Indian justice system, SCAORA wrote, adding that institutions must be committed in protecting the functioning of this rung of the judiciary.
Expressing its solidarity with judge Khan, SCAORA hoped that steps will be taken to ensure her safety as well as “to uphold the independence and dignity of every judicial offer”.
Judge Khan on June 12 sentenced the seven men to life imprisonment for lynching cattle transporter Nazeer Ahmad in Narmadapuram in August 2022. She handed the life sentence after convicting them of murder but found them guilty of armed rioting and attempt to murder as well. The men had also attacked Ahmad's companions Sheikh Lala and Sheikh Mushtaq, who survived their injuries.
In the days following the verdict, as media reports have noted, some users on social media accused judge Khan of deciding the case ‘on the basis of religion’, while one individual while using slurs to refer to the judicial officer threatened a “massacre” unless the convicts were released. Many posts had incorrectly identified the number of men sentenced as 14.
Reportedly an X account called upon Hindus to ‘drive judge Khan out of the country’, though it appears to have since been deleted. One group of people also burnt judge Khan in effigy.
Speaking to Newslaundry, the officer in charge of the Seoni Malwa police station in Narmadapuram had said that the police lodged an FIR against two people on June 23 invoking provisions dealing with wounding religious feelings and promoting enmity. The Indian Express reported on Wednesday that the police have heightened judge Khan's security.
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