Noida: A court in Greater Noida on Thursday fixed January 23 as the next date of hearing in the Mohd Akhlaq lynching case after it was informed that the accused have moved an application before the district judge seeking transfer of the case to another court.

According to advocate Yusuf Saifi, counsel for Akhlaq’s family, the accused have also filed a writ petition before the Allahabad High Court challenging the Surajpur court’s December 23 order, by which it had rejected the Uttar Pradesh government’s application seeking withdrawal of charges in the case.

The accused moved an application before the district judge seeking transfer of the case. Subsequently, Additional District Judge Saurabh Dwivedi of the fast-track court in Surajpur fixed January 23 for the next hearing, Saifi said.

The counsel said that on Thursday, Akhlaq’s wife Ikraman and son Sartaj appeared before the court under police protection. However, Ikraman’s statement could not be recorded, following which the court fixed January 23 as the next date of hearing.

On December 23 last year, the court had dismissed the state government’s plea to withdraw charges against the accused and directed that the case be categorised as “most important” and heard on a day-to-day basis.

The hearing scheduled on January 6 could not proceed due to the absence of Akhlaq’s family members, following which January 8 was fixed for the next hearing.

Mohd Akhlaq was lynched in Dadri in 2015 over rumours that he had stored beef at his home, triggering nationwide outrage.