New Delhi: All eyes will be on a Surajpur court in Greater Noida on 22 January, when a district judge is scheduled to hear a petition seeking the transfer of the 2015 Mohammad Akhlaq lynching case out of the fast-track court where the trial is currently underway.
The outcome will determine whether the case continues before Additional District Judge Saurabh Dwivedi or is heard by another judge.
The transfer plea, filed by the Uttar Pradesh government claims “compelling circumstances”, which they cite as not being heard properly by the current judge.
It was taken up last week by Gautam Buddha Nagar District Judge Atul Shrivastava. However, the court granted an adjournment after the defence sought more time to place supporting documents on record.
Advocate Yusuf Saifi, who represents Akhlaq’s family, said the court fixed 22 January as the next and final date of hearing to decide the transfer plea.
The case is currently being heard on a day-to-day basis after the fast-track court designated it a “most important” matter.
UP govt’s withdrawal plea rejected
The UP government’s transfer plea comes after the Surajpur court’s decision on 23 December 2025, rejecting the government’s application seeking withdrawal of prosecution against all accused. The court not only refused to grant permission but also ordered that the trial be fast-tracked with daily hearings.
This decision is also being appealed against in the Allahabad High Court, according to lawyers associated with the case. The appeal has not been filed yet.
The court had rejected the state government’s application to withdraw all charges against the accused in the Akhlaq lynching case and ordered fast-tracking of the trial with daily hearings.
The withdrawal application which had been filed under Section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure allows a public prosecutor to withdraw from prosecution with the court’s consent. The state cited inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts, lack of evidence of prior enmity, and the need to “restore social harmony”.
A 10 September letter issued by the Gautam Buddh Nagar district magistrate—following an 26 August 26 government order—stated that the Governor had granted written permission for the public prosecutor to act on the state’s directive.
The 2015 Dadri lynching
Mohammad Akhlaq was killed on 28 September 2015, after a mob attacked his home in Bisahda village under Jarcha police station are in Greater Noida. The violence followed an announcement alleging that Akhlaq had slaughtered a cow and stored beef in his refrigerator.
The mob, allegedly led by Vishal Rana and his cousin Shivam, dragged Akhlaq and his 22-year-old son Danish out of their home and assaulted them. Akhlaq, 52, later died at a Noida hospital, while Danish survived after undergoing major head surgery.
The incident triggered nationwide outrage and debate on mob violence and communal tensions—issues that continue to frame the legal battle now poised for a critical hearing on 22 January.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Akhlaq lynching has changed everything in his village—politics to playgrounds