SC to hear plea alleging attacks on Christian institutions, priests on Monday

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea alleging a rising number of attacks on Christian institutions and priests across the country and seeking the implementation of its guidelines to curb hate crimes.

A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna are likely to hear the matter.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves had mentioned the matter before a vacation bench in June and said on average, 45 to 50 violent attacks take place against Christian institutions and priests across the country every month.

In May itself, 57 cases of violence and attacks on Christian institutions and priests took place, Gonsalves had told the court.

The relief sought in the plea filed by Peter Machado and others includes the implementation of the guidelines issued by the apex court in the Tehseen Poonawala judgment, under which nodal officers were to be appointed to take note of hate crimes across the country and register FIRs.

In 2018, the apex court had come out with a slew of guidelines for the Centre and the states. These included fast-tracked trials, victim compensation, deterrent punishment, and disciplinary action against lax law-enforcing officials.

The court had said offences such as hate crimes, cow vigilantism, and lynching incidents should be nipped in the bud.

”The states shall designate a senior police officer, not below the rank of police superintendent as nodal officer in each district,” it had said, adding that these officers will set up a task force to be assisted by a DSP-rank officer for taking measures to prevent mob violence and lynching.

”The state governments shall immediately identify the districts, sub-divisions, and villages where instances of lynching and mob violence have been reported in the recent past,” the court had said.