The world watched the brutal lynching of Pehlu Khan that took place in broad daylight in April 2017.
Dressed in a white salwaar kurta, the 55-year-old dairy farmer from Haryana’s Nuh was seen being dragged and thrashed by a group of self-styled vigilantes near Behror in Rajasthan on the Delhi-Alwar highway.
The viral video of the incident showed the men yanking Khan by the neck, and mercilessly kicking him repeatedly.
Videos as Evidence
These separate videos, were given to the court as a clinching piece of evidence shot by eyewitness.
However, the court said that the cellphone videos could not be admitted as evidence and hence has acquitted six of the men seen in a video of the attack.
“The video was viral. Everyone saw it. You can still go online and have a look at it. However, the court decided not to admit the video as evidence,” Akhtar Hussain, Pehlu Khan’s lawyer, told News 18.
Ravinder, a constable with Delhi Police, is among the total of 44 witnesses examined in the case admitted to making the video.
“Ravinder was passing by when he saw a mob beating Pehlu Khan. He stopped to make the video. He admits that he was the one who made the video. His testimony proves that the video was authentic. I am nobody to question the wisdom of the court, but there was still a possibility of the video being admitted so we were hopeful,” he said.
-Sting by NDTV–
Also, a sting operation by NDTV where one of the accused confessed to the crime was also disregarded in the court.
An Alwar court had on Thursday acquitted all the six accused in the lynching case, giving them the benefit of doubt.
The Rajasthan Assembly had on August 5 passed an anti-lynching Bill that provides for life imprisonment and heavy fines to those convicted in mob lynching incidents after speedy trials.