An Alwar court will hold the final hearing in the Rakbar Khan lynching case on March 6, PTI reported on Monday. Khan was lynched by a mob on suspicion of cow smuggling in Rajasthan in 2018.

Qasim Khan, representing Rakbar Khan’s mother Habiban, said that the court on Monday denied further argument in the case and scheduled the final hearing for March 6.

The court has also appointed a special prosecutor in the case. Last week, the family of Khan had accused the court of bias. In an application to Alwar’s District and Sessions Judge Sangeeta Sharma, 73-year-old Habiban and Aslam Khan, a key witness in the case, had said the presiding officer was in favour of the accused.

Advertisement

“The accused tell us that they have “managed” the presiding officer and now the judgement will be in their favour,” the application had alleged.

The family had asked Judge Sharma to either take the case herself or transfer it, but the request was denied. The family had also raised questions about the presiding officer’s integrity. “Recording of prosecution evidence is still going on but we have come to know that the judgement is already being written,” the application said. “In such a situation, we have no hope for justice from ADJ 1 [Additional District Judge] Sarita Swami.”

Rakbar Khan, a resident of Haryana, and his friend Aslam were transporting two cows through a forest area near Lalawandi in Alwar when they were attacked by a mob on July 20, 2018, on the suspicion of cow smuggling. While Aslam managed to escape and hide, Khan died of his injuries while in police custody.

Mohan Singh, an assistant sub-inspector, subsequently admitted that there had been a delay in taking Khan to hospital. He was suspended and three other personnel were transferred. Four accused have been arrested in the case so far.