The Bombay High Court on Friday sought the response of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the appeal filed by Irrfan Khan, the prime accused in the 2022 murder of Amravati pharmacist Umesh Kolhi, challenging the lower court’s order refusing to drop the charges against him.
A division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata issued notice to the federal agency and scheduled the matter to be heard after four weeks.
Kolhi, who owned a medical shop in Amravati, was attacked and beaten to death on June 21, 2022, while returning home on his scooter. His son and daughter-in-law were traveling separately nearby but were unable to rescue him. According to the NIA, the murder was linked to social media posts supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who had made controversial statements about the Prophet at the time.
Khan, a property dealer, was arrested on July 2, 2022, and charged with inciting and supporting the attackers who killed Kolhi.
In its March 10 ruling on his release plea, the special NIA court dismissed the plea and observed that the murder was carried out with the intention of spreading terror, particularly among Hindus, and thus attracted the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) as well as charges under the Indian Penal Code.
According to the indictment, the conspiracy began after Yousuf Khan, a veterinarian, distributed a screenshot of a message allegedly posted by Kolhi in a WhatsApp group. The NIA claims that the screenshot was shared in another group, ‘Kaleem Ibrahim’, created by Irrfan Khan, sparking discussions that culminated in a plot to eliminate Kolhi.
The agency alleges that on June 19, 2022, Muhammad Shoaib, Ataib Rasheed, Irfan Khan and Shaheem Ahmed met at Gausia Hall in Amravati and allegedly decided to kill Kolhi, with Khan agreeing to provide support. The National Intelligence Agency described Khan as the mastermind behind the plot and accused him of recruiting individuals who had kept a low profile.
However, Khan maintains that he was wrongly implicated. He stated in his petition that he has no criminal record, runs the NGO “Rahibar”, which provided medical assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has deep roots in the community. He claims that he was targeted due to rivalry and actions of anti-social elements.
