SC terms Guj cops flogging 3 Muslim men as 'atrocious'

The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticised the Gujarat police officials involved in publicly flogging three Muslim men after tying them to a pole in 2022, calling their conduct "atrocious" and "unacceptable".

- Utkarsh Anand

A bench of justices Bhushan R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta emphasised that not only the policemen misused their authority but also acted in contravention of the Supreme Court's 1997 ruling in the DK Basu case that warned law enforcement agencies against custodial torture and laid down extensive guidelines on police conduct during arrests and detentions. "Do you have an authority under law to tie people to poles and beat them in public view? And take video? What kind of atrocity is this and you even take video of it," the bench remarked as it took up an appeal filed by the policemen against their conviction and punishment in a contempt case.