Court Rejects UP Government’s Plea to Withdraw Prosecution in Mohammad Akhlaq Lynching Case

A court in Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday dismissed the state government’s application seeking to withdraw prosecution in the 2015 lynching case of Mohammad Akhlaq.

Additional District Judge Saurabh Dwivedi rejected the Public Prosecutor’s plea filed under Section 321 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which sought to drop charges against the 14 surviving accused in the case, according to a report by Live Law.

The court also directed that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis and issued orders to ensure the protection and preservation of all evidence related to the case.

Mohammad Akhlaq, aged 50, was lynched by a mob in September 2015 in Bisada village of Dadri, Gautam Budh Nagar district. The incident, which included the involvement of the son of a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader, triggered nationwide outrage and protests against mob violence, with demonstrators raising slogans such as “Not in My Name”.

The Uttar Pradesh government had filed the application to withdraw the prosecution on October 15, seeking to drop proceedings against all accused persons involved in the lynching.

Meanwhile, Akhlaq’s wife had approached the Allahabad High Court, challenging both the state government’s decision to withdraw the case and the prosecutor’s application filed before the Gautam Budh Nagar court.

According to the prosecution, on September 18, 2015, a mob gathered outside Akhlaq’s home after an announcement from a local temple alleged that he had slaughtered a cow and stored its meat in his refrigerator. The mob allegedly dragged Akhlaq and his son Danish out of their house and assaulted them.

Akhlaq succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Noida, while his son Danish survived after sustaining serious head injuries and undergoing major surgery.