Protecting The Marginalized: Indian Anti-Mob Lynching Laws As A Tool For Achieving SDG 10 And SDG 16
- IJLLR Journal
- May 19
- 2 min read
Ishika Aggarwal, B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
Mr. Vatsal Chaudhary, Assistant Professor, Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
ABSTRACT
Mob lynching, one of the most disturbing social evils in Independent India transforms the idea of equality, justice, and the sovereign rule of law on its face. As the following article explores the phenomenon of lynching in Indian narrow legal justice frameworks, focusing on the tangle of legal and social aspects, its effects on disadvantaged categories, and the promising legislative changes under the BNS 2023, Sections 103(2) and 117(4). However, enforcement gaps, societal biases, and systemic inefficiencies once again work against their efficiency. Based on historical cases like the Tehseen S. Poonawalla case and recent incidents like the mob of Pehlu Khan and Aryan Mishra, this analysis also serves the purpose of requiring an effective approach towards the legal legislation against mob violence. The promotion of anti-lynching must be implemented in sync with SDG 10 and 16. Current SDG 10 is designed to improve inequalities, and this is crucial because mob lynching attacks mostly the Dalits, Muslims, and tribal populations, amplifying systemic prejudices. The principles of SDG 16 include peaceful and inclusive societies, strong institutions that require proper police work, timely justice, and accountability to public institutions. The study considers some problems, which concern society’s acceptance of mob violence, weak protection of witnesses, and slow legal proceedings, and suggests some specific measures, such as fast-track courts, raising awareness programs, and better digital regulation. It asserts that the cause of both the intended realization of the SDGs and the elimination of mob lynching involves more than just the introduction of legal amendments; but transformational social processes that challenge and eliminate existing hate-induced prejudice, promote the principles of inclusion, and espouse the letters of the constitution. Given this consideration, there is the need to employ a multiple strategy to work towards overcoming injustice and human rights abuses.
Keywords: Mob lynching, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sustainable Development Goals, Vigilante violence, Section 103(2) of BNS, Communal polarization, Caste-based discrimination
