The Supreme Court on Friday said all states must compensate victims of cow vigilante violence and ordered them to file compliance reports, according to media outlets.
The top court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, said: “Victims are to be compensated. It is obligatory on the part of the state to compensate the victims of crime.”
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh filed their compliance reports on Friday. The remaining states have been asked to file soon, ANI reported.
Meanwhile, Hindustan Times reported that Congress leaders Tehseen and Shehzad Poonawalla filed a petition to the top court calling for cow protection groups to be declared illegal, saying there has been a spike in instances of vigilantism.
Asia Times reported earlier that although there is a ban on cow slaughtering in 22 states, attacks against those who violate the rule increased only after the federal government led by the BJP came to power in 2014.