Pehlu Khan lynching: Rajasthan govt files appeal in HC against acquittal of accused 

The Rajasthan government led by Ashok Gehlot has filed an appeal in the Rajasthan HC against a lower court order against acquittal of all six accused in 2017 Alwar lynching case.

According to news agency ANI on Thursday, Major RP Singh, Additional Advocate General (A-G) of Rajasthan, said, “Three days back, that is on October 14, the state government filed an appeal against the lower court’s judgment.”

On August 14, 2019, a trial court in Alwar had acquitted all six accused giving them benefit of doubt, criticising the Alwar Police for ‘botched’ investigation and the prosecution for failing to produce vital documents in the court to prove charges.

Rajasthan government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case afresh and look into the reasons behind the acquittal of the accused. SIT had submitted its report to the government in September 2019, in which it pointed multiple lapses in the police investigation and blamed the investigating officers for a shoddy investigation.

On October 3, Pehlu Khan’s family had filed a separate appeal in the High Court against the Alwar court’s verdict.

Pehlu Khan, 55 year old, a dairy farmer from Nuh in Haryana, was beaten up by cow vigilantes on April 1, 2017, on Delhi-Jaipur highway while he was transporting cows from Jaipur to his home. He succumbed to his injuries in a private hospital in Alwar three days later.

A video of the incident had gone viral on social media, triggering massive outrage across the country.