Bulandshahr cop lynching: SC stays bail granted to accused

The Supreme Court has stayed the order of the Allahabad High Court granting bail to one of the main accused Yogeshraj, a Bajrang Dal leader who allegedly lead a mob that killed a police officer in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district in December 2018.

A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh in its order stated that the matter is "quite serious" where under the pretext of the cow slaughter, a police officer has been lynched and directed Yogeshraj to surrender before the trial court within a period of seven days.

The apex court further asked the trial court in Bulandshahr to send a report on the status of the case and charges against all the accused. Yogeshraj was out on bail since September 2019.

The petition in the Supreme Court was filed by Rajni Singh, the wife of police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, who was killed in the mob attack.

"The matter is quite serious where under the pretext of the cow slaughter, a police officer has been lynched. Prima facie, it is a case of people taking law into their own hand. We are of the view that Yogeshraj should be asked to surrender within a period of seven days from today and thus to that extent, the impugned orders granting him bail are stayed. We call for a report from the trial Court, Bulandshahr as to how much time do they need to frame the charges and to record the testimonies of the independent witnesses. List after three weeks," the Bench said in its order on Monday.

A mob violence incident at Syana in Bulandshahr on December 3, 2018, left police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, who was handling complaints against cow slaughter, and a local resident, dead with bullet wounds.

The violence erupted after cattle carcasses were reportedly found in a nearby village. Yogeshraj and others were accused of leading the mob and instigating it to attack police with illegal firearms, sharp objects, and lathis.

Rajni Singh, the wife of the deceased police officer, has challenged the order of the Allahabad High Court which had granted bail to Yogeshraj, one of the main accused and a local leader of Bajrang Dal.

The plea emphasised that though the incident of lynching had taken place almost three years ago, charges have not yet been framed in the case.

( With inputs from ANI )