The Centre has apprised the Supreme Court that four states – Nagaland, Gujarat, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu—have yet to appoint nodal officers in accordance with the court’s guidelines to curb incidents of mob violence and lynching. This information was shared by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) KM Natraj during a hearing on Wednesday, November 29.
ASG Natraj, representing the Union government, informed the bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti that these four states had not responded to a letter from the Union home ministry regarding the appointment of nodal officers. “We are not clear as to whether these states have appointed nodal officers or not. However, they have not responded to our letter,” ASG Natraj was quoted as saying by IANS. In response, the bench expressed its intention to issue notices to the standing counsels of these states, instructing them to submit a report on whether nodal officers have been appointed.
Additionally, ASG Natraj updated the top court on a meeting convened by the Union home secretary on October 11, following the court’s order. The matter is scheduled for further hearing in February next year.
In an earlier hearing, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the petitioner, expressed surprise that various state government websites lacked details regarding nodal officers. Gonsalves sought directions for state governments to upload comprehensive data on their websites, making it accessible to the general public.
Responding to this, the Supreme Court had directed the home ministry to file a status report, obtaining information from the concerned state governments. The 2018 judgment in the Tehseen S Poonawalla case mandated the appointment of nodal officers in each district, empowered to take preventive measures against mob violence and lynching incidents.
‘The Director General of Police/the Secretary, Home Department of the states concerned shall take regular review meetings (at least once a quarter) with all the Nodal Officers and State Police Intelligence heads,’ the court had ordered.