Hapur lynching: Petitioners can approach trial court says, Supreme Court
New Delhi, May 28, 2019: The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave petitioners in the Hapur lynching case liberty to approach the trial court and draw its attention to statements made by two brothers of the victim before a chief judicial magistrate about the brutal crime allegedly committed by cow vigilantes in June last year.
The bench was hearing a fresh interim application filed by Samiuddin, a relative of the deceased, in which it was submitted that further probe was needed in view of revelations made by two brothers of the meat exporter in their statements recorded under section 164 of the CrPC before the chief judicial magistrate of Hapur.
Saleem and Nadeem are the brothers of Qasim Qureishi, a 45-year-old meat trader, who died after he took a severe beating along with Samaydeen from cow vigilantes on June 18, last year.
The duo were assaulted on the pretext that they were transporting and butchering cows.
The court had on April 8 asked the state government to file a status report of the investigation in the case in which a person was killed and another brutally assaulted in the name of cow vigilantism in June last year.
On May 2, the Uttar Pradesh Police filed a status report on the investigation carried out in the matter on a petition filed by Samiuddin seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for an “impartial” investigation.
The plea had alleged that Samiuddin and Qasim, both belonging to the minority community, were targeted and mercilessly assaulted by a mob of the majority community from the neighbouring village, in the name of cow vigilantism.
The court said, “The order that would be appropriate…at this stage would be to permit the petitioners to draw the attention of the trial judge to the aforesaid statements of the brothers of the deceased…”
