Judge faces communal threats after sentencing cow vigilantes to life in jail for mob lynching

Additional District and Sessions Judge Tabassum Khan of Madhya Pradesh’s Narmadapuram district has come under a sustained campaign of communal abuse and threats after she convicted seven men and sentenced them to life imprisonment in the 2022 lynching of a truck driver over allegations of cattle smuggling..The campaign, which began shortly after the June 12 verdict, has included videos containing death threats and communal slurs, the burning of the judge’s effigy, misinformation about the judgment and social media posts questioning her impartiality because of her religious identity.The Madhya Pradesh Police have since registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unidentified persons under Sections 196 and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)..The case arose from the intervening night of August 2 and 3, 2022, when truck driver Nazir Ahmed and two others were transporting cattle from Nandarwada towards Amravati in Maharashtra. According to the prosecution, their vehicle was intercepted near Barakhad village in Seoni Malwa by a mob armed with sticks and wooden rods, which dragged the occupants out of the truck and assaulted them.Ahmed later succumbed to his injuries, while the two other occupants survived..Although the two injured eyewitnesses turned hostile during trial, judge Khan relied on medical evidence, forensic reports and recoveries of blood-stained weapons and clothes from the accused to hold that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The Court ultimately convicted seven accused and sentenced them to rigorous life imprisonment for murder and other offences..The backlash began on the very day the verdict was delivered when relatives and supporters of the convicts protested outside the Narmadapuram court complex and attempted to block police vehicles taking the convicted men to prison.Over the following days, the protests shifted online, where judge Khan’s religious identity became the focus of a coordinated campaign.One of the principal narratives circulated on social media falsely claimed that 14 “gau rakshaks” had been sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial court judgment, however, records the conviction of seven accused..The claim was amplified by Sudarshan News editor Suresh Chavhanke, who described the campaign as a “Nyay Sangram” (fight for justice) for “14 gau rakshaks” while tagging political leaders. Similar claims were also circulated by several other social media users.The online campaign soon escalated into direct threats..A widely circulated video showed a man identified as Vishal Singh from Gujarat abusing judge Khan with communal slurs and demanding that the convicted men be released within ten days. He warned that there would otherwise be a “bloodbath.”Another video showed a group in Punjab's Mohali burning an effigy of Judge Khan while raising slogans demanding the release of the convicts.A separate procession of self-described cow vigilantes was also shared online, with posts alleging that judge Khan had decided the case on the basis of her religion and demanding her removal..Several social media accounts also directly targeted the judge.An X account named @TheBahubali_IND, operated by one Amrendra Bahubali, alleged that judge Khan “looks at her religion first and the Constitution later”, claimed she could “never do justice” and called upon Hindus to drive her out of the country.Reportedly, another account named HinduNation urged the Supreme Court to suspend judge Khan, alleged that she had acted out of “malice” while sentencing the convicts and demanded that every judgment delivered during her tenure be re-examined..The campaign has prompted concern within sections of the legal fraternity over the safety and independence of trial court judges, particularly those dealing with sensitive criminal prosecutions.Rajya Sabha member and Senior Advocate Vivek Tankha condemned the attacks and called for greater institutional support for judges."To say the least it is shocking. More shocking is the silence of the higher judiciary & the Govt , which was sworn in to protect & defend the constitution, the institutions established there under & the rights enshrined therein." Tankha said. Congress leader Pawan Khera also criticised the campaign, saying the convicts had not been punished because of their religion but because they had been found guilty after trial.“All the convicts are indeed Hindu men. But they were not convicted because of their religion; they were convicted because the investigation found them guilty of rioting, attempted murder and murder. Yet our Hindu brother in the video is not outraged by their behaviour. His outrage is reserved for one fact alone: that the judge who convicted them is a Muslim woman,” Khera said..Meanwhile, the FIR registered by the Madhya Pradesh Police is expected to examine the threatening videos, communal remarks and social media posts circulated against judge Khan following the verdict..[Read Order]