LUCKNOW: In a setback to the Uttar Pradesh government’s attempt to withdraw charges against the accused in the Mohammad Akhlaq lynching case, a local court in Surajpur has rejected the state’s application and directed that the trial be fast-tracked through daily hearings.
While passing the order on Tuesday, Additional District Judge Saurabh Dwivedi said that a letter should be sent to the concerned police authorities, including the Police Commissioner of Gautam Buddha Nagar and the Deputy Commissioner of Greater Noida, to ensure all kinds of protection to evidence crucial to the case.
The court also directed that the matter be categorised as “most important” and heard on a daily basis. The prosecution was further ordered to record evidence at the earliest. The case has been posted for the next hearing on January 6, 2026.
Akhlaq, 50, was lynched by a mob in Dadri’s Bisada village in Gautam Buddha Nagar district over rumours of cow slaughter and allegations that meat had been stored at his home.
The Uttar Pradesh government had moved an application on October 15 seeking to withdraw the charges against the accused, citing "inconsistent statements" by the victim’s relatives in naming the accused, the recovery of no firearm or sharp weapon from the accused, and the alleged absence of any prior enmity or hostility between the accused and the victim.
On September 18, 2015, a mob gathered outside Akhlaq's home in the Bisada village in Dadri after an announcement from the local temple alleged that he had slaughtered a cow and stored its meat in the fridge. The mob --led by Vishal Rana, son of a local BJP leader, and cousin Shivam-- dragged Akhlaq and his son Danish out of their home and assaulted them until they fell unconscious.
While Akhlaq died at a Noida hospital, Danish survived after suffering severe head injuries and undergoing major surgery.
Police had registered an FIR at Jarcha police station under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (assault), 504 (intentional insult to disturb peace), of IPC.
Police filed the chargesheet on December 23, 2015, before a magistrate court in Surajpur, naming 15 people, including a minor, in connection with the lynching. All the accused are currently out on bail. However, the chargesheet did not specifically mention cow meat, as the final forensic report was not available at the time it was submitted.
The lynching led to nationwide protests involving slogans "Not in my name," to denounce the spike in Hindutva mob violence targeting Muslims.
However, despite nationwide outrage, all 15 accused were released on bail by September 2017.