Prayagraj, Jul 14 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court, hearing a petition in a mob lynching case, has directed the Uttar Pradesh authorities to file an affidavit within three weeks in consonance with the Supreme Court's 2018 guidelines on preventing and addressing incidents of mob violence.

A bench comprising Justice Siddharth and Justice Avnish Saxena was hearing a petition filed by the brother of a 37-year-old man killed on suspicion of slaughtering cattle in Moradabad district in december last year.

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The petition sought a probe into the incident by a special investigating team (SIT) and Rs. 50 lakh as compensation for the family of the deceased.

During the court proceedings, the counsel for the petitioner argued that the state had not implemented the mandatory safeguards laid down by the apex court in the case of Tehseen S Poonawalla vs. Union of India (2018). The ruling included remedial measures like prompt FIR registration, nodal officer oversight, timely charge-sheet filing, victim compensation, etc.

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The High Court, in its order dated July 10, recorded that only the investigating officer had filed a counter-affidavit in the matter and the state government had not shown any steps taken in line with the binding directions of the apex court.

Thus, the division bench remarked that the UP government should file a better counter-affidavit keeping in view the directions of the apex court in the Poonawalla case within three weeks.

Regarding the merits of the matter, it noted that the FIR should have been lodged by the police under Section 103(2) of the BNS (mob lynching), but was instead registered under Section 103(1) (murder).

The court stayed the investigation in the FIR until the next date of hearing.

The court ordered that the matter will now be heard next on August 5, 2025.

The petitioner contended that the Uttar Pradesh government has failed to formulate a Lynching/Mob Violence Compensation Scheme in compliance with the provisions of Section 357A of the criminal procedure code (CrPC), despite the explicit and binding direction in the Tehseen Poonawalla case, which constitutes 'grave' and 'willful' violation of the rule of law.

The petition also requested the court to direct the UP government to take disciplinary action against the police officials involved in the matter in line with the Supreme Court's directions to ensure accountability.

It also requested the court to direct the Centre to launch public awareness campaigns against mob violence and lynching, highlighting legal consequences as directed by the Supreme Court.

On the intervening night of 29-30 December 2024, Shahedeen and a few others were allegedly caught by a mob which accused them of slaughtering a cow.

While the others managed to flee, Shahedeen was brutally beaten by the mob for nearly an hour. He succumbed to the injuries the next day.

Later, Moradabad police booked Shahedeen and his alleged accomplices under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)