Alwar, August 14: In a major development, all six accused in Pehlu Khan lynching case has been acquitted by Rajasthan Court on Wednesday. The court of Additional District Judge in Alwar district freed six men accused of lynching dairy farmer Pehlu Khan on April 1, 2017. The hearing in the matter had concluded on August 7, 2019.  Alwar Lynching: Rajasthan Police Files Chargesheet Against Pehlu Khan, Victim Who was Lynched In 2017.

55-year-old Pehlu Khan, a native of Haryana’s Nuh, was attacked by alleged cow vigilantes in Alwar on the Jaipur-Delhi national highway when he and five others were transporting cattle from a market in Jaipur to their village. After being thrashed by rods and sticks, he succumbed to injuries on April 3. Pehlu Khan, Victim of Alwar Lynching, Was Not Named in Chargesheet, Clarify Rajasthan Police.

Victim's family had alleged injustice and protested state government's move to file charge sheet against Khan for cow smuggling. The police had filed a case against Pehlu Khan under section 6 of the Rajasthan Bovine Animal Act, 1995. Chargesheet was also filed against Khan's sons Irsad (25) and Arif (22) under sections 5, 8, and 9.

On Wednesday, the court ruled that video of lynching was not admissible evidence. The hearing in the case concluded on August 7 and over 40 witnesses were deposed in the case. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the six men under several sections of the Indian Penal Code. The charge of murder was also added after Pehlu Khan's death.

There are total of nine accused, including two minors, in the case. One of the accused had died. While six have been freed. The two minors are currently facing charges in a juvenile court.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 14, 2019 06:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).