The Supreme Court has refused to cancel bail granted by the Rajasthan High Court to accused Mohammad Javed in the 2022 Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal murder case. Petitions by the NIA and the victim’s son were dismissed.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed petitions filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the son of Kanhaiya Lal, the Udaipur tailor who was brutally murdered in 2022, seeking the cancellation of bail granted to one of the accused.
A Bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma refused to interfere with the Rajasthan High Court’s order granting bail to Mohammad Javed.
The appeals had been filed by the NIA and Yash Teli, son of the deceased tailor, against the decision of the High Court.
Teli’s lawyer argued before the Supreme Court that the role of Javed was very serious since he had allegedly provided information about the whereabouts and presence of Kanhaiya Lal to the assailants.
It was submitted that the High Court was not correct in granting bail to Javed without considering the full gravity of the offence.
According to the plea, the murder of Kanhaiya Lal was committed in a communally charged atmosphere across the country. The petition claimed that the prime accused had planned the crime in advance.
They allegedly gathered themselves, collected weapons, conducted recce of the area, and used Javed to provide information about the tailor’s movements.
On the day of the incident, the accused allegedly entered Kanhaiya Lal’s shop pretending to be customers. While Lal was busy taking their measurements, they planted a hidden camera, shouted communal slogans, and attacked him with sharp-edged weapons, killing him on the spot.
The petition also noted that this murder was not an isolated act but a carefully executed crime designed to create fear and tension.
As per the NIA’s investigation, accused Javed worked at a shop near Kanhaiya Lal’s tailoring shop. The agency has claimed that Javed provided real-time information to the main attackers about the victim’s presence and location at the time of the murder.
The incident took place on June 28, 2022, when Kanhaiya Lal was hacked to death at his shop in the busy Hathipole area of Udaipur.
Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy argued before the Supreme Court that the release of a film based on the 2022 Udaipur tailor murder would severely prejudice her client’s right to a fair trial.
Guruswamy pointed out that the film’s narrative directly mirrors the chargesheet and portrays her client’s alleged role in the incident. She told the Court:
“My role is shown in the film exactly as it is in the chargesheet, holding a phone and informing the other accused of the victim’s whereabouts.”
Highlighting the constitutional protection under Article 21, she stressed that releasing such a film while the trial is still pending would cause irreparable harm.
“There’s no precedent of a film being allowed during the pendency of a trial unless the accused themselves are involved in the project,”
she submitted, urging the Court to view the film before passing any decision.
She further argued:
“A trial plays out in a courtroom and in society. The film names the victim, outlines the crime, and implies my client’s involvement.”
The attackers, identified as Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghouse, killed him with cleavers and even recorded a video of the act. The video was later uploaded on social media, which further inflamed communal tensions across the country.
The NIA is continuing its investigation into the wider conspiracy behind the incident.
Case Title:
Yash Teli v. NIA
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