Alwar lynching: SC to hear next week plea to shift trial outside Raj

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea filed by the victim's father in the Alwar lynching case, seeking to shift the trial outside Rajasthan.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said it would hear the plea next week after the counsel appearing for Rakbar Khan's father and key witness in the case mentioned the matter pleading for an early hearing.

In his petition, Rakbar's father also sought a probe by a special investigation team.

Rakbar Khan, 28, was beaten to death by suspected cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Alwar district on July 24.

Alwar has witnessed similar attacks in the name of cow protectionism. The latest killing comes more than a year after Pehlu Khan was murdered allegedly by cow vigilantes in April 2017.

The central and state governments have come under sharp criticism from the top court over frequent lynching incidents across the country.

The court had condemned the mob lynching incidents and suggested enactment of a law in Parliament to deal with the crime that threatens the rule of law and the country's social fabric.

--IANS

gt/mag/sed