On Tuesday (23rd December), a court in Surajpur rejected the Uttar Pradesh government’s plea to withdraw charges against the 18 accused persons in the 2015 Mohammad Akhlaq murder case. The court also ordered fast-tracking the trial with daily hearings.
The Additional District Judge, Saurabh Dwivedi, said, “A letter be sent to the Police Commissioner of Gautam Buddha Nagar and Deputy Commissioner of Greater Noida to ensure that all kinds of protection be provided to the evidences.”
The court further stated that the Akhlaq murder case be categorised as “most important” and daily hearings be held. In addition, the court told the prosecution to record evidence at the earliest.
The next hearing in the matter will be held on 6th January 2026.
In October this year, the Uttar Pradesh government filed an application to withdraw prosecution in the case, highlighting various reasons, including alleged inconsistent statements by Akhlaq’s relatives in naming the accused. Besides, the government cited the fact that no firearm or sharp weapon was recovered from the possession of the accused, in addition to an absence of any record of previous enmity or hostility between the accused Hindu men and Mohammad Akhlaq.
It must be recalled that back on 28th September 2015, Mohammad Akhlaq, who lived in Bisahda village within the Dadri Assembly constituency, slaughtered a cow. This act incited a furious mob of locals who thrashed Mohammad Akhlaq and his son, Danish. The injured Akhlaq succumbed to his wounds while receiving medical care at the hospital. The cow slaughter incident was initially regarded as a fabrication, but laboratory tests later verified that the meat disposed of by Akhlaq was, in fact, cow meat.