Rajasthan high court seeks records in Pehlu Khan lynching case

Jaipur: A division bench of Rajasthan High Court on Thursday sought the records of Pehlu Khan lynching case from the subordinate court of Alwar. The court has asked for bringing the record in the case as soon as possible.

The bench comprising Justice Mahendra Maheswari and Justice Goverdhan Bardhar ordered for records while hearing appeals challenging the acquittal of the accused in the Pehlu case.

Earlier, the court had asked for the merger of the two appeals filed by the state government and Irshad Khan son of Pehlu. The appeals were against the acquittal of the six accused in the case.

The bench also waived off minor defects in the appeal filed by the state government.

Earlier, the division bench of Rajasthan High Court ordered to merge the appeals filed by the government headed by Ashok Gehlot and by Pehlu’s relatives. Both the appeals were against the acquittal of six accused in the 2017 Pehlu Khan lynching case. Pehlu's family lawyer Naseer Ali Naqvi talking to TOI, said, “The court has called for the records in the case from the Alwar’s subordinate court.”

On 17 October, the Rajasthan government and Pehlu Khan's family filed two appeal petitions before the Rajasthan High Court against the acquittal of all six accused in the Alwar lynching case. Earlier, on 14 August, a trial court in Alwar acquitted six people who accused of assaulting Pehlu Khan while he and some others were transporting cows from Jaipur. The trial court at the time gave the accused the benefit of the doubt, with Alwar police and prosecutors citing a suspicious investigation that failed to produce important documents in court to prove the charge.