Dadri lynching case: Wife of victim records statement

Ikhlaq's wife recorded her statement in the lynching case after delays. The case continues to face complications, with cross-examination set for February 25.

Greater Noida: Days after the Gautam Budh Nagar district judge rejected a case transfer application in the 2015 Ikhlaq lynching case on January 22, the deceased’s wife, Ikraman, on Thursday recorded her statement before an additional district judge after a month-long wait and a series of objections by the defence counsel.

All 14 accused were present before the court, but since lawyers representing all of them were not present, the cross-examination could not be conducted on Thursday. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

However, the case diary was transferred from the court of additional district judge (fast track court) ADJ (FTC) Saurabh Dwivedi to that of Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ ) Chandra Mohan Shrivastava. According to the prosecution, the case diary had remained with Dwivedi’s court until Wednesday and was transferred to Shrivastava’s court as part of a routine administrative reshuffle of cases.

“On Thursday, Ikraman recorded her statement in chief (or examination in chief) before Addl District and Sessions Judge Shrivastava and narrated the entire incident, describing how the events unfolded while she and her family were having dinner at home when a mob broke in after an announcement was made at a nearby temple’s speaker,” Ikhlaq’s counsel, Andleeb Naqvi, told HT.

“Ikraman also identified the suspects by name and described how they blocked her way when the police were taking her husband Ikhlaq and son Danish to the hospital,” he added.

All 14 accused were present before the court, but since lawyers representing all of them were not present, the cross-examination could not be conducted on Thursday.

The case has now been listed for February 25 for Ikraman’s cross-examination by the defence.

This was only the second time in 10 years that a crucial eyewitness statement was recorded in the Dadri lynching case, following the statement of Ikhlaq’s daughter, Shaista. Now, only the statement of Ikhlaq’s son, Danish, remains to be recorded.

The case, which has faced delays for the past 10 years, gained momentum on December 23, 2025, after ADJ (FTC) Dwivedi rejected the Uttar Pradesh government’s application under Section 321 of the CrPC seeking to withdraw the case.

In its December 23, 2025 order, the FTC termed the lynching a “serious crime against society” and held that no grounds existed to justify the withdrawal of prosecution.

The case was subsequently listed for day-to-day hearings from January 5. However, on January 8, when Ikraman arrived to record her statement, the defence moved a case transfer application before higher judicial authorities.

The application was later rejected on January 22 by the district judge, who observed that proceedings cannot be shifted merely on assumptions or because an adverse order was passed against the accused.

Mohammed Ikhlaq, 55, was lynched by a mob in Bisada village on the night of September 28, 2015, following rumours that his family had stored beef at home. His son Danish was injured while trying to save his father. The attack triggered nationwide outrage over rising intolerance, with writers, filmmakers, and scientists returning state awards in protest. A laboratory analysis conducted after the lynching claimed that the meat found in Ikhlaq’s refrigerator was mutton.

A subsequent laboratory report, first cited by lawyers representing the 18 accused in the case, claimed it was beef. There have also been conflicting statements on where the meat was found. To be sure, neither the provenance of the meat, nor where it was found are material to the case.