A fast-track court in Surajpur, Greater Noida, on Thursday set January 23 as the next date of hearing in the 2015 lynching case of Mohd Akhlaq, after being informed that the accused have sought transfer of the trial to another court.
Advocate Yusuf Saifi, who represents Akhlaq’s family, said the accused have approached the district judge with an application seeking transfer of the case. They have also filed a writ petition before the Allahabad High Court challenging the Surajpur court’s December 23 order that refused the Uttar Pradesh government’s request to withdraw charges against them.
Following these developments, Additional District Judge Saurabh Dwivedi fixed January 23 for further proceedings. Saifi added that Akhlaq’s wife Ikraman and son Sartaj appeared before the court on Thursday under police protection. However, Ikraman’s statement could not be recorded, prompting the court to adjourn the matter.
On December 23, the trial court had rejected the state government’s plea to drop the case and directed that it be treated as a “most important” matter, to be heard on a day-to-day basis. An earlier hearing scheduled for January 6 was deferred due to the absence of Akhlaq’s family members, after which January 8 was set as the next date.
Mohd Akhlaq was beaten to death by a mob in Dadri in September 2015 following rumours that he had stored beef at his residence, an incident that sparked widespread outrage across the country.
