Indian Muslim judge receives death threats after sentencing cow vigilantes
Judge Tabassum Khan sentenced 14 men to life for lynching a man over cow suspicion; now faces online abuse and threats because of her religion.
An Indian judge has become the target of online abuse and death threats after sentencing 14 men to life imprisonment for the lynching of a 50-year-old man, Nazir Ahmad, in 2022. Ahmad was transporting cattle at night when a group of self-styled "gau rakshaks" (cow protectors), armed with sticks and rods, intercepted him. The men dragged Ahmad and his companions from the vehicle and brutally assaulted them on suspicion of cow smuggling. Ahmad later died from his injuries. In her verdict, Tabassum Khan, the additional district and sessions judge in Madhya Pradesh, noted that the crime was a clear case of mob lynching.
Following the verdict, numerous videos surfaced online abusing and threatening Khan, who is Muslim, with communal slurs, rape threats, and death threats. The videos implied that Khan had acted against the men because they were Hindu. While judgments are often criticized, the attacks focused on Khan's religion rather than her legal reasoning. Some videos, posted by Hindu right-wing influencers, warned of "bloodshed" if the convicted men were not freed within 10 days. Many of these videos remained online, attracting thousands of likes and shares.
In response, Khan was given police protection. Leading judicial bodies, including the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), condemned the threats and demanded action. SCBA President Vikas Singh told the BBC that threats against a judge are a grave issue for democracy. "If we allow this to happen, no judge will be able to dispense justice," he said.
Police official Sudhakar Baraskar said a case was registered under the Indian Penal Code and two people were arrested. The cyber cell is tracing those sharing inflammatory videos. The Madhya Pradesh High Court asked senior officials to report on steps taken to protect Khan and ordered that her police protection continue. Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju noted that the attacks sought to "delegitimise Judge Khan's authority as a judicial officer by reducing her identity to her religion." Khan reportedly thanked him, saying the abuse had traumatized her and made her feel like she had committed a crime by delivering her verdict.
Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde argued that the state and judiciary should do more to ensure Khan's safety. He cited a case where former Bombay High Court judge Gautam Patel received threats after a judgment in a Muslim succession dispute, and the court ordered protection. "If a retired judge of a high court deserves state protection, so does a serving sessions judge in a district court," Hegde wrote. "The principle cannot bend to rank, religion, or the political weather around a particular verdict."
