Muzaffarnagar riots: court allows withdrawal of case against 25 people, including BJP leaders Sanjeev Balyan
The case relates to an incident that took place on August 31, 2013, when a public meeting was proposed at a school ground in Sikheda area; according to the court records, permission for the meeting had not been granted because restrictions were in place in the area at the time
Thirteen years after the Muzaffarnagar communal riots resulted in over 60 deaths, a special court in Muzaffarnagar has permitted the prosecution to withdraw a criminal case against 25 individuals, including former Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan and BJP leader Umesh Malik. The decision was made on August 12, 2026, by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate and MP-MLA court judge Devendra Kumar Faujdar.
The case pertains to an incident that occurred on August 31, 2013, at a proposed public meeting in the Sikheda area, which was prohibited due to existing restrictions. The police registered the case as they claimed the gathering occurred despite the restrictions, resulting in a disturbance. However, the BJP-led State government later granted permission for the prosecution to seek case withdrawal.
The prosecution argued that the circumstances had significantly changed since 2013, making the case against public interest. The court took this into account, along with earlier Supreme Court rulings on similar cases. It concluded that the FIR shows the incident was politically motivated and that there is no ongoing dispute between the parties.
Therefore, the prosecution's request for case withdrawal is deemed appropriate. The Muzaffarnagar riots took place between August and September 2013, leaving 60 dead and displacing around 50,000 people. The Indian Army was deployed to maintain order, and over 500 FIRs were lodged, accusing hundreds of individuals of various crimes.
In a related case in 2021, a Supreme Court report suggested that the Uttar Pradesh government intended to withdraw 77 cases related to the riots, including one involving 12 BJP leaders accused of hate speeches. In May 2023, a Muzaffarnagar court acquitted 37 persons accused of murdering eight Muslims during the 2013 riots, citing lack of evidence.
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