Rajasthan HC quashes cow-smuggling case against Pehlu Khan, his two sons

Jaipur, Oct 30: A Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday quashed a chargesheet against two sons of Haryana resident Pehlu Khan, was lynched by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Alwar district in 2017, for cow smuggling.

The documents clearly show that Pehlu Khan had purchased the cattle for dairy, not slaughter, the court said while dismissing the charge sheet.

55-year-old dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, a native of Nuh in Haryana, was allegedly beaten up by self-styled cow vigilantes near Behror in Rajasthan on the Delhi-Alwar highway on April 1, accusing him of smuggling cattle. He succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital on April 3.

There were two FIRs registered in the case. One was against the mob for beating Khan to death and second against him and his sons for allegedly transporting cattle illegally out of the state. The latest chargesheet pertains to the second case.

Although the case goes back to April 2017 when the BJP was in power in the state, the charge sheet is being filed months after the Congress took over.

"The chargesheet was accepted by the court on May 24 against three persons under the Rajasthan Bovine Animal Act. Since Pehlu Khan had died, he has not been chargesheeted," Alwar Superintendent of Police Anil Paris Deshmukh told PTI.

However, Pehlu Khan's name was mentioned in the summary of the charge sheet.

Police maintained that the case against Pehlu Khan, his sons Irshad Khan (25) Aarif Khan (22) and truck operator Khan Mohammad stood proved in the investigation.