Akhlaq lynching: Court rejects UP government's 'frivolous' plea to withdraw case
Akhlaq lynching: Court rejects UP government's 'frivolous' plea to withdraw case
M.U.H
23/12/202524
In a major setback to the Uttar Pradesh government in the Akhlaq lynching case, the Surajpur court on Monday rejected a plea seeking withdrawal of the case against the accused. The application had been filed by the Uttar Pradesh government requesting permission to withdraw prosecution.
During the hearing, the court observed that the plea moved by the prosecution lacked merit and was without any solid legal basis. Terming the application “irrelevant and baseless,” the court dismissed it outright.
The court clarified that the trial in the case will continue and fixed January 6 as the next date of hearing. During the hearing held on Monday, the court heard arguments from both sides before passing the order.
The court further directed that the case will now be heard on a day-to-day basis. It instructed the prosecution to proceed with recording statements of witnesses. The court also directed the Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) to provide adequate security to witnesses, if required.
Advocate Yusuf Saifi, representing Akhlaq’s family, said the court had completely rejected the prosecution’s plea to withdraw the case. He said regular hearings would begin from January 6 and described the order as a major victory for the victim’s family.
Nearly 10 years have passed since 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq was allegedly beaten to death in Bisada, a village in Dadri, in 2015, barely 50 kilometres from Delhi, after rumours spread that he had slaughtered a cow and kept its meat at home. The case bounced back in the spotlight after the Uttar Pradesh government has asked a local court for permission to withdraw charges against all men named in the case chargesheet.
In a social media post, welcoming the judge's decision, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat called it a huge step towards justice in the Akhlaq case and slammed the government.
Earlier, the senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat wrote to the President Droupadi Murmu, demanding her intervention in the Uttar Pradesh government's move to withdraw charges against the accused in the 2015 mob lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq.
In a letter to the President, Karat called it a "politically motivated" step by the government, and also questioned the role of the governor.
