Ayodhya: A POCSO court in Ayodhya has acquitted Samajwadi Party leader Moid Khan in the 2024 gang rape case involving a minor girl. The court found no DNA link connecting Khan to the crime and noted failure by the prosecution to support the charges. The ruling came nearly two years after his arrest and the demolition of his properties by district authorities.
The court convicted Raju, identified as Khan’s servant, in the same case. The verdict closed a trial which sparked political debate and administrative action across Uttar Pradesh. Khan’s arrest in 2024 followed strong public statements by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the Assembly and during an election rally in Aligarh. Senior BJP leaders also met the victim’s family during the early stages of the case.
Soon after the arrest, authorities demolished Khan’s multi storey shopping complex and a bakery in Ayodhya’s Purakalandar area. Officials cited illegal construction on disputed land. The bakery demolition took place a day after the Chief Minister assured the victim’s mother of strict action, including bulldozer action against the accused. Critics viewed the move as part of bulldozer justice.
During trial proceedings, the defence pointed to contradictions in the investigation. The FIR placed the crime scene at a bakery. Later findings shifted the location far from Khan’s bakery. Reports also stated the victim first named another person, with Khan’s name added later.
Despite acquittal, Khan remains in jail due to a pending case under the Gangster Act. The verdict revived concerns over politicised prosecutions, punitive demolitions, and erosion of due process. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned state actions and asked whether demolished homes and dignity would ever return.
