Pehlu Khan case: Rajasthan HC admits sons’ plea against acquittal of six accused; issues bailable warrant

The Rajasthan High Court on Monday issued a bailable warrant against six persons who were acquitted in the year 2019 in the Pehlu Khan lynching case by an Alwar court. Pehlu Khan was allegedly killed in 2017 by a mob that set upon him while he was transporting cows.

A Bench of Justice Goverdhan Bardhar and Justice Vijay Bishnoi issued the order while admitting an appeal filed by the victim's sons, Irshad and Arif, and clubbing it with a plea filed by the Rajasthan government against the lower court's acquittal order, Live Law has reported.

The appeal by his sons had been filed against the acquittal of accused persons Vipin Yadav, Ravindra Kumar, Kaluram, Dayanand, Yogesh, and Bhim Singh.

Importantly, the plea submits that there are injured eyewitnesses, who have specifically taken the names of the accused (acquitted by the lower court).

The plea also avers that Khan had sustained a number of injuries and had died on account of those injuries received by him and also, the weapons were recovered from the accused person.

Challenging the lower court's judgment and acquittal order, the plea contends that despite the fact that the testimony of the eyewitnesses was credible, the trial court discarded the testimony and acquitted the accused persons.

Pehlu Khan and his sons were on their way to Nuh district in Haryana from Jaipur on April 1, 2017 when cow vigilantes allegedly stopped them at Behror on the Jaipur-Delhi national highway. The mob allegedly thrashed them on the suspicion of cow smuggling and consequently, Khan had died at a hospital in Alwar on April 3.

Subsequently, two FIRs were registered in the case. One was against the mob for beating Pehlu Khan to death and second against him, his sons and the truck driver for transporting cattle (cows) illegally out of the state.

The charge sheet against Khan and his two sons for cow-smuggling was quashed by the Rajasthan High Court in the year 2019.