Kanhaiya Lal murder: NIA court frames charges against 9 accused

Jaipur: A special NIA court here on Tuesday framed charges, including under the anti-terror law UAPA, against nine people accused in the murder case of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal.

Kanhaiya Lal was hacked to death at his shop in the busy Hathipole area of Udaipur on June 28, 2022 by two cleaver wielding men for allegedly supporting a social media post against Islam.

The two accused, Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Gause, had also made a video of the act and posted it online, which sent shockwaves across the country.

The case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The charges were framed in the NIA court under various IPC sections including 302 (murder), 452 (trespassing), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Minhaz Ul Haq, counsel for six of the nine accused, said.

The accused -- Mohammad Riyaz, Mohammad Gause, Mohsin Khan, Arif Hussain, Mohammad Mohsin, Wasim Ali, Farhad Mohammad, Mohammad Javed and Muslim Khan -- were present in the court.

While Farhad Mohammad is out on bail, the rest of the accused are in judicial custody.

The court granted bail to Farhad Mohammad, who was arrested under the Arms Act in July 2022 after a sword was recovered from his house in Udaipur. His counsel had argued that the sword was blunt and Farhad Mohammad committed no offence.

Charges under the Arms Act have also been framed against Farhad Mohammad.

Next hearing in the case will be held on March 2.