The killing in 2015 sent shock waves across the country and became a symbol of violence against Muslims linked to cow vigilantism
NEW DELHI — Family members of Mohammed Akhlaq have welcomed the decision of the Surajpur court in Noida to reject the Uttar Pradesh government’s request to withdraw the case in the 2015 Dadri mob lynching. The rejection has dealt a serious blow to the Yogi Adityanath government. CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, who was present in court, termed the court’s decision as “a slap in the face of the state government.”
Dismissing the prosecution’s plea on Monday, Additional District Judge Saurabh Dwivedi called the government’s request as “frivolous and baseless”. The court ordered the trial should be treated as a priority case with daily hearings. The next hearing will take place on January 6.
The court also issued clear directives to the Gautam Buddha Nagar Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Greater Noida, to give security to witnesses if they seek protection.
A senior court official said the directions were aimed at stopping further delay in a case that has dragged on for years.
The case goes back to the night of September 28, 2015, in Bisada village of Dadri. A mob attacked the house of Mohammed Akhlaq after an announcement from a local temple. The claim was that cow meat had been kept in the house.
Akhlaq and his son Danish were dragged out and beaten badly. Akhlaq later died at a Noida hospital. Danish survived with serious head injuries.
The killing sent shock waves across the country and became a symbol of violence against Muslims linked to cow vigilantism.
On the complaint of Akhlaq’s wife, Ikraman, an FIR was registered at Jarcha police station. The police added sections including murder, attempt to murder, rioting, unlawful assembly, assault, and insult meant to provoke violence.
A charge sheet was filed on December 23, 2015, naming 15 accused, including one minor. All accused are on bail. The charge sheet did not mention beef, as the forensic report was not available at that stage.
On October 15 this year, the Uttar Pradesh government moved the court seeking withdrawal of the case. The plea said statements of Akhlaq’s family members were contradictory, no weapons were recovered, and there was no past enmity.
The government claimed that dropping the case would help restore social harmony.
The court rejected these arguments in clear terms.
Yusuf Saifi, the lawyer for Akhlaq’s family, said the order gives hope to the family that justice has not been buried.
CPI(M)’s Brinda Karat said the state’s plea had no merit. “The petition was completely baseless. The court did not accept it,” she said.
She added, “I will continue to stand with Akhlaq’s family until justice is done.”
The Dadri case has long been seen by Muslim groups and rights activists as part of a wider pattern in Uttar Pradesh, where minorities have faced violence in the name of cow protection. In several cases, accused persons have been publicly supported and even honoured by political figures.
For Akhlaq’s family, the court’s order is a rare moment of relief after years of waiting.
As a local resident said outside the court, “Akhlaq was killed only because he was Muslim. The case must reach its end in court, not be closed for political comfort.”
