Jodhpur, Nov. 7 -- The Rajasthan high court has upheld the stringent charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) invoked against eight men accused of killing tailor Kanhaiya Lal in 2022 over social media posts he made backing former BJP spokesperson's Nupur Sharma comments about the Prophet Muhammad. Chief justice Sanjay K Agrawal and justice Sameer Jain on Thursday dismissed appeals in two connected cases and upheld the trial court's 2024 orders framing charges under UAPA sections 16, 18 and 20, and various IPC and Arms Act sections. The prosecution alleged that the accused acted to further a common intention of murder, which was allegedly preceded by threats and aimed to hurt religious sentiments. The defence counsel argued that the trial court mechanically invoked UAPA sections without establishing the essential ingredients of offences. The court noted that the appeals arose while framing charges, when the court needed to determine whether the prosecution disclosed a case or suspicion warranting trial, and not whether guilt of the accused was conclusively established. dinesh bothra...