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In 2015, a Hindu mob lynched Mohammad Akhlaq in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri area after rumours he had slaughtered a cow.

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A court in Uttar Pradesh on Monday rejected a state government request to withdraw prosecution in the 2015 killing of Mohammad Akhlaq, calling the plea legally unsound, India Today reported.

The Surajpur court dismissed the application filed by the Uttar Pradesh government, saying it lacked merit and had no legals basis. Describing the request as “irrelevant and baseless,” the court ruled that the trial would continue.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court set January 6 as the next hearing date and ordered that proceedings be conducted on a day-to-day basis. It also directed prosecutors to begin recording witness statements and asked senior police officials in Greater Noida to ensure security for witnesses if required.

Advocate Yusuf Saifi, representing Akhlaq’s family, said the court had fully rejected the government’s plea to withdraw the case, describing the order as a major victory for the victim’s family.

The case relates to the death of 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq, who was killed in September 2015 in Bisada village in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri area, about 50 km from New Delhi, after rumours spread that he had slaughtered a cow and stored its meat. The case returned to focus after the state government sought permission to drop charges against all those named in the chargesheet.

Reacting to the ruling, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat welcomed the decision, calling it “a huge step towards justice in the Akhlaq case” and criticising the government’s attempt to withdraw serious charges.

Karat had earlier written to President Droupadi Murmu, describing the government’s move as “politically motivated” and questioning the role of the governor in the matter.

The court’s order means the trial will proceed nearly a decade after the killing.