Kanhaiya Lal murder case: A Special NIA Court in Jaipur on Tuesday framed charges against all the nine accused involved in the murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal in 2022. Kanhaiya Lal was hacked to death at his shop in the busy Hathipole area of Udaipur on June 28, 2022, by two cleaver-wielding men for allegedly supporting a social media post against Islam.
The case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
What charges were framed?
The charges framed in the NIA court include sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) such as 302 (murder), 452 (trespassing), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), and 120B (criminal conspiracy), along with provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, said Minhaz Ul Haq, the counsel representing six of the nine accused.
All the accused, namely Mohammad Riyaz, Mohammad Gause, Mohsin Khan, Arif Hussain, Mohammad Mohsin, Wasim Ali, Farhad Mohammad, Mohammad Javed, and Muslim Khan, were present in the court during the proceedings.
Farhad Mohammad, who was arrested under the Arms Act in July 2022 after a sword was recovered from his house in Udaipur, has been granted bail. His counsel argued that the sword was blunt, and Farhad Mohammad committed no offence. Charges under the Arms Act have also been framed against him. The next hearing in the case will be held on March 2.
Kanhaiya Lal murder
Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor by profession, was allegedly murdered in June 2022 in Udaipur on charges of insulting Islam. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed charges against 11 accused in this case in December last year. Two of the accused, who were responsible for the heinous act, also recorded a video of the incident, which sparked outrage across the country. Both the accused seen in the video were arrested shortly after the incident.
(With PTI inputs)
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