Lakhimpur Kheri Violence: Media running kangaroo courts with agenda-driven debates, says Allahabad HC

“The vital difference between the convict and accused has to be looked into by keeping at stake the cardinal principles of ‘presumption of innocence until proven guilty’ and ‘guilt beyond reasonable doubt’. Media trial apart from taking up the investigation on its own leads to forming public opinion against the suspect even before the court takes cognizance of the case, as a result, the accused who should have been presumed innocent is treated as a criminal,” Justice Pahal added.

“The excessive publicity of the suspect in the media before the trial in a court of law, either incriminates a fair trial or results in characterizing the accused or suspect as the one who has certainly committed the crime. The reason the jury members were kept aloof of the access to media was obvious,” the order stated, citing the OJ Simpson murder trial in the US as “classic examples of the menace”.

“Now, the problem has been multiplied by the electronic and social media, especially with the use of toolkits. At various stages and forums, it has been seen that ill-informed and agenda-driven debates are being undertaken by media running Kangaroo Courts,” the court added.

Justice Pahal rejected Mishra’s bail plea citing “apprehension of witnesses being influenced” and “gravity of the accusations”.

On October 3 last year, a convoy of three SUVs, including a Thar owned by Ashish’s father and Union minister Ajay Mishra, allegedly ran over a group of protesting farmers at Tikonia crossing in Lakhimpur Kheri, killing five people and injuring several others. In the ensuing violence, two BJP workers and the driver of the Thar vehicle were killed.