A division bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has put a hold on the trial proceedings in the murder case of 15-year-old Junaid Khan. Khan was allegedly killed by a mob which hurled communal slurs at the teenager aboard a Mathura-bound train in June 2016.
The court has also issued a notice to the Haryana government and the CBI on a plea by Junaid’s father, Jalaluddin Khan, demanding a CBI probe.
The division bench of Justices Mahesh Grover and Raj Shekhar Attri on Tuesday asked the Faridabad sessions court to adjourn the case until 11 January, The Indian Express reported.
The report added that on 6 December, senior advocate RS Cheema, who has been representing the family in the High Court, requested the division bench to order a stay on the trial proceedings during pendency of the appeal.
The crime perpetrated by the accused resulting in the death of Junaid and stab injuries to Hashim, Shakir as also beatings and humiliation to the other victims, was essentially motivated by deep-rooted communal hatred against the community of the victims, the same was well-planned and essentially incorporates the element of criminal conspiracy.RS Cheema
On 27 November, the High Court had dismissed a petition filed by Jalaluddin Khan to move the inquiry to an independent investigative agency. After the court's order, he had appealed for a review of the decision.
The teenager, on 22 June this year, was returning to his house in Ballabhgarh in Haryana after a shopping trip in Delhi ahead of Eid. Junaid was stabbed to death and his two relatives were injured by a group of men who allegedly hurled communal slurs at the boys and attacked them after an altercation purportedly over seats.
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