Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 17: The Maharashtra government has informed the Bombay High Court that it will pay Rs 5 lac in compensation to the widow of Afan Ansari, a man from Qureshi Nagar, Kurla East, who was allegedly lynched by cow vigilantes in June 2023. The government also assured the court that the case will be transferred to a fast-track court for an expedited trial.
The announcement came in response to a petition filed by Afroz Ansari (24), Afan's widow, who had moved the court last year seeking the implementation of the Supreme Court’s 2018 Tehseen Poonawalla judgment, which issued guidelines to prevent and punish mob lynching. Afroz also urged the court to shift the case from the Nashik Sessions Court to a fast-track court and demanded Rs 1 crore as compensation.
Afroz and Afan were married in 2013 and have two daughters, aged eight and five. They currently live in a rented home with Afan’s elderly parents in Kurla East. According to her petition, on June 24, 2023, Afan (32) and his associate Nasir Qureshi (24) were returning to Mumbai from Ahmednagar after purchasing meat when they were ambushed near the Samruddhi Expressway by a group of around 14-15 men travelling on bikes and in a jeep.
The attackers allegedly dragged the two men out of their vehicle, tied them up, beat them with sticks and iron rods, and forced them to chant religious slogans. The attackers also stole their valuables and mobile phones. When police arrived around 9:30 PM, the victims were rushed to a hospital in Nashik, where Afan was declared dead on arrival.
A chargesheet was filed in September 2023 before a magistrate in Igatpuri, and the case was committed to the Nashik sessions court in November, but no trial proceedings had begun. Afroz’s petition pointed out that no charges were framed and all accused were granted bail, despite the severity of the crime.
Her lawyer, Madhavi Ayyappan, highlighted the lack of action from the state’s nodal officers, despite government resolutions (GRs) issued in line with the Supreme Court’s directives. The petition criticized the inaction and failure to grant timely compensation to the family, whose sole breadwinner was lost in the incident.
On October 6, government prosecutor Prajakta Shinde cited a January 2022 amendment to the Maharashtra Victim Compensation Scheme, 2014, which included provisions for victims of lynching or mob violence, ensuring compensation up to Rs 10 lakh. She stated that while Rs 5 lakh had been sanctioned as final compensation for Afroz, the amount would be transferred once she opens a bank account.
Shinde also confirmed that steps were being taken to transfer the case to a fast-track court, assuring the court it would be done within three weeks if not already completed.
Accepting the government’s statement, a bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh Patil noted that no further directions were necessary, and accordingly disposed of the petition.