The Rajasthan high court on October 30, revoked the police complaint lodged against Pehlu Khan (a Muslim dairy farmer killed by a mob in 2017), and his sons in a cow-smuggling case. 

Pehlu Khan was lynched in the daylight by self-proclaimed vigilante on the suspicion of smuggling cows for slaughter on April 1. He died two days later in the hospital on April 3.

An FIR was filed by the police against three and the owner of the pickup driver on April 2, 2017, for trying to transport cattle out of the state without permission. They had allegedly violated Sections 5,8, and 9 of the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act.

The Behror police suo motu filed the FIR under section 589 on Pehlu Khan and his two sons. However, Pehlu Khan’s name was dropped as he died after the attack. The sons appealed against the FIR and had said that they have receipts from the Jaipur cattle to prove authorised livestock purchased.

A single bench of Justice Pankaj Bhandari dismissed the case on Wednesday on the basis that no evidence was found supporting the contention that cows were transported for slaughter.

Kapil Gupta, the advocate in the case told The Wire that the court was convinced of no evidence found that the cows were being transported for the purpose of slaughtering.

Gupta further said that the cows were milch and the calves were one and two years old, so they could not have been taken for slaughter.

Kassim Khan, representative the sons of Pehlu Khan said that court agreed that Khan had the rawana (purchase slip) required to transport the cattle legally at the time he was lynched by the mob on Jaipur-Delhi national highway.

All the six accused in the murder of Pehlu Khan were acquitted in August this year. The Rajasthan government received severe backlash for the judgement. Following this, the government said it would challenge the Alwar court’s judgement in the higher court. The government also set up a special investigation team and found multiple discrepancies in the police inquiry.

Also Read: Who Killed My Father? Asks Pehlu Khan’s Son After Court Acquits All 6 Accused