Supreme Court agrees to hear contempt plea in Alwar lynching case
New Delhi, July 23 : The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a contempt plea against the Rajasthan government for violating court directives in a mob lynching case in Alwar district last week.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said the plea would be heard on August 20, along with the main case by petitioner Tehsheen Poonawala.
Advocate Deepali Dwivedi, appearing for Poonawala, mentioned the Alwar lynching case before the bench seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against the Rajasthan government.
The central and state governments have come under a sharp criticism from the Supreme Court over frequent lynching incidents across the country.
The court had condemned the mob lynching incidents and suggested enactment of a law in Parliament to deal with the crime that threatens rule of law and the country's social fabric.
"Horrendous acts of mobocracy" cannot be permitted to become "a new normal", it had said, while issuing a slew of guidelines, including preventive, remedial and punitive steps to deal with offences such as mob violence and cow vigilantism.
A 28-year-old man was beaten to death by suspected cow vigilantes in Alwar district late on Friday. Two persons have been arrested so far.
Some villagers caught and beat up Akbar Khan, suspecting him to be a cow smuggler.
Khan, a resident of Mewat in Rajasthan, was transporting the animals to his village along with another man when they were stopped by a group of villagers near Lalawandi village.
Alwar has earlier witnessed similar attacks in the name of cow protectionism. The latest killing comes more than a year after Pehlu Khan was murdered allegedly by some cow vigilantes in April 2017.
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345 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran return home via Armenia
New Delhi (PTI): A group of 345 Indian fishermen, who were stranded in Iran amid escalating regional tensions, returned to India via Armenia on Saturday, officials said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan for assistance in return of the Indian nationals.
The Indian nationals arrived in Chennai this evening, the officials cited above said.
The circumstances that led to them being stranded in Iran were not immediately known.
"Thank FM @AraratMirzoyan and the Government of Armenia for facilitating the evacuation of Indian fishermen today from Iran, through Armenia to India," Jaishankar said on social media.
Over 1,500 Indian nationals have left Iran through land border crossings in Armenia and Azerbaijan since the start of the West Asia conflict over a month ago.
"A group of Indian fishermen, stranded in Iran, are returning home via Armenia today; their flight is expected to reach India this evening," a government statement said.
It said the Ministry of External Affairs continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the West Asian region, with the safety, security and welfare of the Indian community being accorded the highest priority.
It also made a mention of five Indians being injured in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
According to Abu Dhabi authorities, the Indian nationals were among the 12 people injured by debris from an intercepted missile.
"In an attack in Abu Dhabi, five Indian nationals were injured; four have been discharged, one remains under treatment," the Indian government's statement said.
It said the Indian mission in Abu Dhabi is extending "full" assistance and coordinating with local authorities, adding that their flight is expected to reach India this evening.
