India: Muslim judge who delivered justice in mob lynching case targeted by Hindu extremists
New Delhi: A Muslim woman judge, who delivered justice in a mob lynching case in Modi’s India, has been targeted by Hindu extremists in an online hate campaign.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the campaign repeatedly highlighted the judge’s Muslim identity through Artificial Intelligence (AI).
A court in Madhya Pradesh has sentenced fourteen so-called cow vigilantes to life imprisonment in the Nazir Ahmed lynching case. The decision became a major test of the rule of law and politics in the name of religion against mob lynching in India.
According to the police, in 2022, Nazir Ahmed was legally transporting cattle to the market. An armed mob of Hindu extremists stopped the vehicle and tortured Nazir Ahmed to death.
The court sentenced the fourteen accused to life imprisonment based on the evidence. After the verdict, Hindu extremists began targeting Muslim judge Tabassum Khan. The murder case was given a religious colour by using the judge’s Muslim identity as a weapon.
The extremist accounts subjected the Muslim judge to a systematic hate campaign through AI graphics. The online hate campaign turned violent and a mob set the female judge’s effigy on fire.
Experts say that Hindu extremists are putting pressure on the courts and state machinery through internet propaganda.
According to independent organizations, digital platforms are being used for mob violence in India. Making a murder case a religious war is a deliberate strategy to avoid accountability.
Targeting judicial officers on the basis of religious identity is a serious threat to judicial autonomy. Such systematic hate campaigns make it difficult for courts to deliver justice without fear.
According to experts, inhumane treatment of Muslims in India and conspiracy narratives against them have increased to an alarming level. Organizations monitoring the risks of mass atrocities also echoed these concerns.
Genocide Watch has repeatedly warned of the growing risks of genocide against Muslims in India. The organization called anti-Muslim hate speech and open calls for violence as dangerous factors.
In this context, the campaign against Judge Tabassum Khan cannot be called a mere criticism of the judicial decision. The campaign repeatedly targeted the judge by highlighting her Muslim identity.
An attempt was made to present the judicial decision as evidence of a communal conspiracy. Hatred against the judge was spread through online and offline hate campaigns.
This campaign is part of a broader trend in India in which judicial decisions related to Muslims are being given a communal color.
