A judge who recently sentenced seven men to life imprisonment in a lynching case in Madhya Pradesh has been bombarded with threats and abuse on social media. The attempts to intimidate and vilify Additional District and Sessions Judge Tabassum Khan are an assault on the rule of law itself. She has also been targeted because of her religious identity. The sheer audacity of the hate-mongers has exposed a dangerous fault line in India’s constitutional order. An FIR has been registered and the judge’s security stepped up. Yet the whole episode begs the question: can our democracy firmly protect those who are fearlessly doing their job of delivering justice?
Judge Khan relied on evidence that proved “beyond reasonable doubt” that the accused thrashed a truck driver to death on the suspicion of cow smuggling in 2022. Those dissatisfied with the judgment have the legal right to appeal before a higher court. But they have no right to issue threats or unleash communal propaganda. The malicious bid to link the verdict to the judge’s religion is especially disturbing. Courts do not convict communities; they impose punishment on individuals proven guilty under the law. Communalising a judgment can undermine public faith in judicial impartiality.
Retired judges are also not being spared. Justice Gautam Patel and his family are being hounded two years after he gave a judgment in the Bombay High Court. Judicial independence is imperilled if those entrusted with dispensing justice fear for their own safety and that of their loved ones. Those responsible for the threats, hate campaigns and misinformation must be identified and prosecuted swiftly. An unequivocal response from Central and state governments, political parties and the judiciary is the need of the hour. Silence, ambiguity or selective outrage only emboldens those who believe intimidation can overturn justice. Protection of judges is not a privilege extended to individuals — it is a constitutional obligation owed to the Republic itself.