Police have registered an FIR and stepped up security for an Additional District and Sessions Judge in Madhya Pradesh after she was subjected to threats and abusive social media posts following her verdict in the 2022 Seoni Malwa lynching case.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Tabassum Khan, posted in Narmadapuram district, had on June 12 sentenced seven men to life imprisonment for the lynching of truck driver Sheikh Lala Nazir Ahmed. The court found that the prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt that the accused were involved in the August 2022 attack and observed that the victim had been assaulted with “extreme brutality.”
FIR Registered Over Online Campaign
Following complaints regarding the online campaign targeting the judge, Seoni Malwa police registered an FIR against unidentified persons under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with promoting enmity and acts prejudicial to public order.
Narmadapuram Additional Superintendent of Police Abhishek Ranjan said the accused had not yet been identified and that police were using multiple units to trace those responsible for the social media posts. He said authorities were monitoring online activity, examining the wider narrative being created through the posts, and had also enhanced the judge’s security.
Threats And Protests After Verdict
The threats emerged in the days after the judgment. Several videos and social media posts targeted the judge over her religious identity. Some videos allegedly showed individuals threatening the judge and demanding the release of the convicted men within specified deadlines.
Other posts and demonstrations accused the judge of delivering the verdict on religious grounds and demanded that the life sentences be overturned. Videos circulating online also showed effigies of the judge being burnt during some protests.
Immediately after the verdict, relatives of the convicted men attempted to prevent police from taking the convicts to jail, leading to tense scenes outside the court complex.
Court Treated Mob Lynching As Aggravating Factor
While imposing life imprisonment, the court treated the incident of mob lynching as a significant aggravating circumstance. It held that the accused had formed an unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapons and had violently attacked the victims.
Besides Nazir Ahmed, who died from his injuries, another victim, Sheikh Mushtaq, sustained injuries in the assault.
Background
The case arose from an incident during the intervening night of August 2 and 3, 2022. According to the prosecution, Nazir Ahmed and Sheikh Mushtaq were transporting cattle from Nardarwada towards Maharashtra when their vehicle was intercepted near Barakhand village in Seoni Malwa by a mob carrying sticks and wooden rods.
The mob allegedly attacked the two men on suspicion of cow smuggling. Nazir Ahmed later died from his injuries, while Mushtaq survived the assault.
