Holy cow! How could Sinha do this?

Union minister Jayant Sinha has boxed himself into a corner. He has done the unforgivable in meeting and felicitating people who have been sentenced by a fast track court to life imprisonment. The cow vigilantes have been held guilty of lynching a Jharkhand meat trader and are out on bail after appealing against the verdict. In trying to justify his act of meeting them, the minister has been tying himself up in knots.

The tweeple are incensed at this brazen support of the indefensible by a ranking member of the Narendra Modi government. His father, the former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, too has come out against the action of Jayant Sinha in condoning the criminality of people charged with a heinous crime like murder. Such support of lumpen elements like these sends out quite the wrong signal.

It stands to reason that people are being emboldened into crimes like lynching — first for suspected possession of cow meat and lately for rumours of child-lifting —because the government and the judiciary have been slow to respond.  Now that a fast-track court has risen to the occasion to warn cow vigilantes, it can also send out a warning that no one can take the law into his own hands. Mr Sinha has failed the nation with his support of cow vigilantes.

 Jayant Sinha @jayantsinha  
I have repeatedly expressed my misgivings about the Fast-Track Court judgement sentencing each accused to life imprisonment. I am pleased that the Hon'ble High Court will hear the matter as a statutory court of appeal to test the correctness of the Fast-Track Court order. In the Ramgarh case, the Hon'ble Ranchi High Court, which is the first court of appeal, has suspended the sentence of the accused and released them on bail while admitting their case. The case will once again be re-heard. I unequivocally condemn all acts of violence and reject any type of vigilantism. The rule of law is supreme in our constitutional democracy. Any unlawful acts, particularly those that violate the rights of any citizen, should be punished with the full force of the law.

  Yashwant Sinha @YashwantSinha  
Earlier I was the Nalayak Baap of a Layak Beta. Now the roles are reversed. That is twitter. I do not approve of my son's action. But I know even this will lead to further abuse. You can
never win.

 mickeymandela@mickeymandela  
What a shame that you would even associate with elements like these people. Truly alarming that a man of your stature and education would do this. Disappointing.

 DR Manojkumar Yadav@manoj4justice  
How can you justify ur act of garlanding lynch convicted person? They have been held guilty by a court of law. Ur action is unbecoming of a minister holding constitutional post.

 Sitaram Yechury  @SitaramYechury
We don't need to look far to see who or which ideology is tearing our social fabric apart: when union ministers patronise those convicted of lynching.

 Swara Bhasker @ReallySwara  
Swara Bhasker Retweeted Jayant Sinha
Sir, let me get this right- u r honouring the due process of law by garlanding the accused and the convicted guilty. Again! Honouring Due process of law = garlanding guilty? Aren't u legitimising criminals instead?

  A. Fuwad @fuwad_shaikh  
1- it's a template tweet. 2- You did not actually have to go and receive and garland them even if they are yet to be convicted as they have serious accusations against them. 3- The last court that tried them found them guilty. 4- As of now, they are convicted cow terrorists.

  Ravi Nair @t_d_h_nair
A murder accused's funeral(body draped in tricolour)was attended by a union minister n MLAs, Ministers protested the arrest of a child rapist, a CM ordered not to arrest a rapist MLA and a Union minister facilitated a group of murderers! This is BJP rule

 SANJAY HEGDE @sanjayuvacha
Honouring those convicted of murder, who have been untimely released on bail, pending appeal, is honouring "the rule of law".

 Khaleequr Rahman @Khaleeqrahman
Lynching is not only acceptable by @jayantsinha but he felicitated by garlanding 8 men who killed an Indian meat trader In Jharkhand. He shd be expelled by our PM immediately from the cabinet. I had a grt respect for him & thought he would respect humanity. Very unfortunate.

 Saileena @saileenas
You didn't have to felicitate them but you did. We will know how every bjp member lies and distorts truth to peddle their agenda. We can see through your lame response already. Shame on you. And shame on everyone who voted for you.

   anwar hussain@anwartabu25
Sir unexpected and disappointing to see u garland people dos who continuously spew venom. I thought u were one of d most rational minister

Booby prize
Union Minister, Giriraj Singh, has landed himself in a controversy after a show of support for a set of riots-accused leaders, whom he visited at a jail in Bihar's Nawada. Giriraj met the jailed right-wing leaders. This comes just days after his cabinet colleague Jayant Sinha was photographed felicitating eight men held guilty of killing a meat trader in the name of cow protection in neighbouring Jharkhand.