Even as the murder case was pending before Supreme Court, "Modi exhorted the audience at an election rally asking them what should be done to a man who stored illegal arms. Some in the crowd chanted that he should be killed. Modi took this as an endorsement and said 'well, that is it'," Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.

He said this reminded of an incident in Germany when alleged criminals Skarlek brothers were hanged at the order of the crowd with the justification that why should the state waste its time and resources in allowing them to face a trial.

"This is fascist justice that Modi is emulating in a modern democracy, which is based on time tested principle that everyone is innocent until proven guilty," Yechury said in an editorial in the latest issue of party organ People's Democracy.

He said modern civil societies have long denounced attitudes like those suggesting that it was no crime for a sex worker to be raped or a criminal to be hanged without an opportunity to defend himself.