In a move fraught with legal and political consequences, the Uttar Pradesh government has filed an application to withdraw all charges that had been made against 18 men accused of Mohammad Akhlaq’s lynching. This case is significant because it demonstrates how criminal law serves as an instrument of the state, contingent on political will that can either initiate or obviate the process of justice. The UP government’s retreat from charging the perpetrators of this heinous hate crime can be........

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