Noida: The Uttar Pradesh government suffered a major setback on Tuesday after a court in Surajpur, Noida, rejected its plea seeking withdrawal of cases against the accused in the Bisahra Akhlaq lynching case. With the dismissal of the application, hopes of relief for the accused have come to an end and the trial will continue.
The Surajpur court heard the state government’s plea and arguments from the prosecution, which supported withdrawal of the case. However, the court said it was not satisfied with the submissions and observed that the application lacked any concrete legal basis. Terming the plea as baseless, the court rejected it and made it clear that the judicial process against the accused would continue without any interruption.
The court fixed January 6, 2026, as the next date of hearing and directed that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis. The prosecution has been instructed to proceed with recording of witness statements. The court also directed the Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Greater Noida to provide security to witnesses if required.
Advocates Yusuf Saifi and Andaleeb Naqvi, representing Akhlaq’s family, said the court had dismissed the prosecution’s application, reiterating that there was no legal ground to withdraw the case. CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, who was present during the hearing, said the government’s plea was without merit and the court had agreed with this view. She said her party would continue to stand with the victim’s family.
Earlier, in October this year, the state government’s counsel had argued before the court that withdrawal of the case would help restore social harmony. Following this, the Justice Section-5 (Criminal) of the Uttar Pradesh government had issued a government order on August 26, 2025, deciding to withdraw the case. Acting on this order, the Joint Director of Prosecution, Gautam Buddh Nagar, issued a letter on September 12, 2025, directing the District Government Counsel (Criminal) to initiate the process. The letter stated that permission for withdrawal of prosecution had been granted by the Governor under Section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The case relates to the incident on the night of September 28, 2015, when rumours of beef being stored in Akhlaq’s house spread in Bisahra village. A mob reached his house, allegedly found meat in a refrigerator and assaulted him, leading to his death. His son Danish was seriously injured in the attack. The incident triggered nationwide protests.
Akhlaq’s wife Ikraman had lodged an FIR naming 10 accused, alleging they barged into the house armed with sticks and firearms and attacked the family. During investigation, police added charges including rioting, attempt to murder, murder, abuse, criminal intimidation, damage to property and house trespass.
Statements of eyewitnesses including Ikraman, Akhlaq’s mother Asgari, daughter Shahista and son Danish were recorded. While initial statements named 10 accused, later testimonies mentioned 16 more individuals, who were subsequently included in the investigation. In her statement recorded on November 26, 2015, Shahista named 16 accused. The investigating officer filed a charge sheet against 18 accused on December 22, 2015. All the accused are currently out on bail.
