[Lakhimpur Kheri Violence Case] Apex Court Orders Ashish Mishra To Address Allegations Of Witness

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, hearing the case, directed Mishra’s counsel to file an affidavit after he denied the allegations.

[Lakhimpur Kheri Violence Case] Apex Court Orders Ashish Mishra to Address Allegations of Witness

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday (27th Nov) instructed Ashish Mishra, the son of former Union Minister Ajay Mishra, to respond to allegations that witnesses were being threatened in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, hearing the case, directed Mishra’s counsel to file an affidavit after he denied the allegations.

The Court remarked,

“There are some photographs. Allegations of witness intimidation have been made.”

In response, Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Mishra, claimed the photos were filed with ulterior motives.

“It is not me. I have the photos… they are not meant for this Court, but for external purposes. Every time the case is listed, something like this comes up,” Dave said.

The Court then instructed,

“You need to address this in an affidavit. Mr. Dave agrees to file one. The case will be listed again in four weeks.”

Mishra is accused of killing at least four farmers during a 2021 protest against the now-repealed farm laws in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh. A total of eight people, including a journalist, died in the violence. The Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) later filed a 5,000-page chargesheet against Mishra and others before the trial court. The Supreme Court has been monitoring the case’s trial.

Mishra was granted interim bail in January 2023, followed by regular bail in July. As per his bail conditions, he is allowed to stay in Delhi or Lucknow but may visit Lakhimpur Kheri for the trial. “The petitioner shall, however, comply with the conditions imposed in the order dated 25.01.2023 and may visit the location of the trial a day before the scheduled trial date,” the Court’s order of July 22 stated.

On November 12, the Allahabad High Court granted regular bail to 12 co-accused in the case, noting that many witnesses are yet to be examined and there is no indication that the trial will conclude soon.

Case Title: Ashish Mishra Alias Monu vs State of UP