File photo of the Supreme Court of India.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to seek explanations from police departments of various states on cow vigilantism.
“No… State will take care of it. Why should we presume anything?” said a bench led by Justice Dipak Misra when the lawyer for a PIL petitioner sought direction to make police departments also parties to the case.
The court remarked that state governments are already parties to the matter and that they have been issued notices for submitting their replies.
It shot down a plea by senior lawyer Sanjay Hegde, who was appearing for petitioner and social activist Tehseen Poonawalla, that police officers have to be held personally responsible for all illegal acts by ‘gau rakshak dals’.
“We don’t want to pass any orders right now. Let the affidavits come,” said the court as it gave six weeks to the central government and five states, including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Jharkhand, to respond.
Karnataka government has submitted its response saying it doesn’t support any illegal action in the name of cow vigilantism.
The court will now hear the matter in July.
The PIL is seeking a ban on cow vigilante groups in the six states. It also raises challenges to state laws on ‘gau rakshak dals’.