The Supreme Court on Monday referred to the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence matter and questioned the detailed examination of evidence like postmortem report while granting bail to Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, in the case. A special bench comprising Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli also reserved its verdict on the plea seeking cancellation of bail granted to Ashish Mishra in the case.
NDTV reported that the Uttar Pradesh government told the Supreme Court that the offence is "grave", and that "no words are enough", and that it had "vehemently" opposed the bail in the high court. The government, however, added that Ashish is not a flight risk and security has been provided to the witnesses to ensure there is no tampering.
On October 3 last year, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri during violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area. Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV, in which Ashish Mishra was seated, according to the UP Police FIR. Following the incident, the driver and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence that triggered outrage among opposition parties and farmer groups agitating over the Centre's now-repealed agricultural reform laws.
-Inputs from PTI
