Jharkhand Governor returns anti-mob lynching Bill 

Ranchi, March 17: Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais returned the anti-mob lynching Bill passed by the state Assembly in the last winter session in December.

The Governor has asked the state government to revisit the definition of a “mob” and correct a mismatch in the description of a witness protection scheme in the Hindi and English versions of the proposed law.

While governor’s principal secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni did not confirm the developments saying he was on leave, highly placed sources in Raj Bhavan said on Thursday that the Bill, titled Jharkhand (Prevention of Violence and Mob Lynching) Bill of 2021,  was returned on Wednesday night.

The Raj Bhavan statement, which was unsigned, read, “There were two objections to the Bill… First, there is a mismatch between the Hindi and English versions of the Bill. Section 2: Sub section-I, Sub Clause-xii deals with ‘Witness Protection Scheme’ (in English version of the Bill). This clause-xii is missing in the Hindi version of the Bill. This needs to be rectified/ corrected by the State Government so that there is a symmetry in both the versions of the Bill.”

The state further added, “Secondly, there is a need to re-consider the definition of ‘mob’ as given in Section 2(vi) of the Bill, which is not in consonance or in line with the well-defined legal lexicon/glossary. A group of two or more individuals cannot be called ‘A tumultuous crowd’. A mob is large, angry and disorderly crowd of people who are often uncontrollable or violent. The State Government must re-visit the definition of the ’Mob’.”

The Bill was passed by Jharkhand Assembly on December 21, 2021 after which it was then sent to Raj Bhavan for the governor’s assent. Only Bengal and Rajasthan have enacted similar laws against mob lynchings. 

As per provisions of the Bill, in case of a lynching death, the guilty could be jailed for life and would have to pay a penalty of anywhere between Rs 5 lakh-Rs 25 lakh. In case of minor injuries to victims, the guilty faces a three-year jail term and fine of Rs 3 lakh. For grievous injuries, the guilty face life imprisonment or jail term of up to 10 years with a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh. Those found guilty of conspiring, aiding and attempting to lynch are to be treated at par with those who commit lynching.