Will Supreme Court impose a ban on gau rakshaks? Decision today

The Supreme Court will on Tuesday hear several pleas seeking a ban on cow vigilante groups across the nation.

New Delhi: Amid public outcry over mob violence unleashed by self-declared cow vigilante groups in the country, the Supreme Court is expected to decide on imposing a ban on them.

According to ANI, the apex court will today hear several pleas seeking a ban on cow vigilante groups across the nation.

One of the petitioners, in his plea, had alleged that the vigilante groups have unleashed terror on members of the minority and Dalit communities.

The apex court had earlier sought a response from the Centre and other states on the issue.

During a previous hearing on the issue, the apex court asked the Centre and six states to respond as to why such elements should not be banned for creating disharmony among communities and castes.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra, A M Khanwilkar and M M Shantanagoudhar had directed the Centre and the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Jharkhand to respond within three weeks on a PIL seeking a ban on "gau rakshak dals" -  often lawless groups that have assaulted alleged cow smugglers.

The court's direction came after a 55-year-old farmer Pehlu Khan died following an assault by cow vigilantes in Alwar, Rajasthan.

Many cases of harassment and violence in the name of "gau raksha" (cow protection) have taken place across the nation over the last few months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in June strongly condemned the attacks in the name of cow vigilantism, saying, "Killing people in the name of cow is unacceptable. No one has the right to take law into his/her hands. We belong to a land of non-violence. Violence is not the solution to any problem."

Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar after the all-party meeting had said, "Prime Minister Modi has asked the State Governments to take strict action against the anti-social elements creating violence in the name of cow vigilantism and punish them strictly." 

With ANI inputs