In Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri in October last year, four farmers were crushed by an SUV and subsequent violence by angry protesters allegedly threatened a witness in the murder of two BJP workers and a driver and the death of a journalist. Has been. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the farmers in the case, claimed in the court that the witness has been threatened that “BJP has won, will see you now.” Expressing displeasure on this, the Supreme Court has taken cognizance and said that it will hear it by forming a separate bench.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will set up a bench to hear a plea challenging the Allahabad High Court’s decision to grant bail to Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra and prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. . Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in this violence.
Chief Justice N.V. A bench headed by Raman took note of the submission of advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the farmers, that one of the key witnesses in the case was attacked. Bhushan said those who attacked the witness said, “Now that the BJP has won, they will take care of it.”
The CJI said that he will constitute a bench to hear the matter, which has already heard the matter related to it. He then listed the petition for Wednesday. Chief Justice N.V. Raman, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli had earlier heard a case related to the casualties and appointed a former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge to oversee the investigation. The top court had agreed on March 11 to hear on Tuesday the petition challenging the bail of Ashish Mishra.
Three members of families of farmers killed in violence at Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court’s bail to Ashish Mishra, the main accused in the case. A single bench of the Allahabad High Court had on February 10 granted bail to Mishra in the case. Earlier, he had been in custody for four months.
Recently advocates Shiv Kumar Tripathi and C.S. Panda had filed another petition seeking cancellation of the bail of Ashish Mishra, on whose letter the apex court had taken suo motu cognizance of the incident.