New Delhi, Dec 13, KNT: Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former Rajya Sabha Member, Brinda Karat, has written to the President of India seeking urgent intervention in the 2015 mob lynching case of Mohammad Akhlaq in Uttar Pradesh, alleging an attempt to subvert the judicial process.
In her letter dated December 13, Karat raised serious objections to the Uttar Pradesh government’s move to withdraw the criminal case related to the lynching of Akhlaq, a resident of Bisahada village in Gautam Budh Nagar, who was beaten to death by a mob on September 28, 2015. Akhlaq’s son Danish was also grievously injured in the attack.
Karat alleged that the UP Governor had granted written permission to the state government to proceed with the withdrawal of the case, even though key prosecution witnesses have already testified before the court. She said the government has filed an affidavit in the District Court at Greater Noida seeking withdrawal of the case, a step she described as illegal, unjust, and politically motivated.
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According to the letter, a chargesheet had been filed under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder, attempt to murder, rioting, and criminal trespass. Karat noted that in 2022, the daughter of the victim appeared as a direct witness, identified all the accused, and recorded her testimony in court. Two more direct witnesses are yet to depose.
She criticized the grounds cited by the state government for withdrawing the case, including claims that the assault involved sticks rather than firearms, absence of personal animosity, and concerns about communal harmony. Karat argued that such reasoning undermines the rule of law and sets a dangerous precedent for other mob lynching cases.
Karat further alleged that the prosecution had contributed to delays by failing to summon witnesses in time and was now using those delays as justification to withdraw the case. She termed the move a misuse of provisions under the Criminal Procedure Code and questioned the constitutional role of the Governor in permitting such action.
Describing the matter as urgent, Karat informed the President that the court hearing on the government affidavit, scheduled for December 12, was postponed at the prosecution’s request. She appealed to the President to intervene and direct the Governor to withdraw the permission granted for withdrawal of the case.
The letter was released to the media by the CPI(M) Central Committee for public dissemination. [KNT]
