Mohammad Akhlaq, 50, was killed by a mob in Dadri, UP, on September 28, 2015. (File photo)
Uttar Pradesh government has submitted before the Allahabad High Court that its investigation into Dadri lynching case has been "impartial" and that the petition filed by a Noida-based BJP leader, who is among the accused, seeking the CBI probe into the matter was "politically motivated".
The submissions were made by the state government in its counter-affidavit filed yesterday on the petition of Sanjay Singh, who had alleged that investigation into the mob attack on the house of Mohd Akhlaq in September last year over alleged beef rumour was not taking place in a free and fair manner.
The petitioner had also requested that the matter be handed over to the CBI for investigation, alleging that since he was associated with the BJP, he was "falsely implicated" in the case by the police at the instance of the ruling Samajwadi Party in the state.
However, in its counter-affidavit, filed through Additional Advocate General Imran Ullah, the state government repudiated the petitioner's contentions and sought to highlight that the local police had acted swiftly soon after Akhlaq was beaten to death and his young son Danish brutally thrashed by a mob which had accused them of having consumed beef.
The state government also underscored that the FIR in the case was lodged not more than 30 minutes after the incident took place and asserted that the demand for a CBI probe was being raised by the petitioner for "political reasons".
A division bench comprising justices Ajai Lamba and Raghvendra Kumar fixed May 4 as the next date of hearing in the matter while granting time to the petitioner to file rejoinder.