‘Mob lynching grave threat’: Karnataka High Court orders drafting victim compensation scheme

The Karnataka High Court has condemned mob lynching as a "grave threat to the rule of law, human rights and social fabric," ordering the state to establish an interim compensation scheme for victims or the next of kin of deceased victims within three months. The court's decision came after declining to annul bail in the April 2025 Mangaluru case involving the alleged mob lynching of Ashraf.

Justice Vijaykumar A Patil, who heard seven related criminal petitions, found the sessions court had made a "grave error" by failing to inform Ashraf's next of kin about the bail hearing. The court emphasized that mob lynching is a brutal form of collective lawlessness driven by prejudice, intolerance and hate, replacing legal justice with violence.

The Parliament has since introduced Section 103(2), which criminalizes mob-driven violence, imposing severe penalties including the death penalty, life imprisonment and fines. The court also noted that victims or the next of kin in such cases must be promptly notified of court proceedings and allowed to participate in various stages of the legal process.

The High Court directed the state to create a compensation scheme for victims or the next of kin of deceased victims and provided a three-month deadline for compliance.