Greater Noida, Dec. 24 -- A fast-track court on Tuesday rejected the Uttar Pradesh government's attempt to withdraw the 2015 Mohammad Ikhlaq lynching case, calling it a "serious crime against society" with no reasoning for withdrawal under Section 321 CrPC. The UP government, on September 12, moved an application to withdraw the case saying this was "for the restoration of social harmony". Ikhlaq, 55, was lynched by a mob in Bisada village on September 28, 2015, after rumours that his family had stored beef at home. His son Danish was injured while trying to save his father. The attack triggered nationwide outrage over rising intolerance, with writers, filmmakers and scientists returning state awards in protest. One laboratory analysis after the lynching claimed the meat found in the refrigerator at Ikhlaq's home was mutton. A subsequent laboratory report, first cited by lawyers representing the 18 accused in the case, claimed it was beef. There have also been conflicting statements on where the meat was found. To be sure, neither the provenance of the meat, nor where it was found are material to the case. The matter was initially listed for December 12, where counsel Yusuf Saifi, representing Ikhlaq, sought to file an objection against the government's withdrawal application. The matter was then listed for December 18, during which senior Supreme Court counsel Andleeb Naqvi, on behalf of Saifi, took over the case and filed an application in which he said the state has "no concrete basis to file the withdrawal application"....