Supreme Court extends Lakhimpur Kheri violence accused Ashish Mishra’s bail till July 11

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the families of farmers killed in the violence, had requested the bench to ask the trial court to have day-to-day hearing in the matter, and said out of around 200 prosecution witnesses, only three have been examined so far.

The bench said the matter is scheduled to be taken up by the trial court on May 5.

While hearing the matter on March 14, the Court had said the trial in the case was not “slow paced” and directed the sessions judge concerned to keep apprising it about the future developments of the trial.

The top court had observed though it is not monitoring the trial, it is having an “indirect supervision” on it.

On January 25, the Court had granted Ashish interim bail for eight weeks and directed that he shall not stay in Uttar Pradesh or the National Capital Territory of Delhi during this period.

Hearing Ashish’s plea challenging the Allahabad High Court order denying him bail, the SC said, “We are conscious of the grave allegations against the petitioner, but we must also acknowledge that principles of procedural fairness require these allegations to be proven in trial proceedings.”

Ashish walked out of the Lakhimpur Kheri jail, where he was lodged, on January 27.

Four anti-farm laws protesters were killed when a convoy of vehicles, including one belonging to MoS Ajay Mishra, ran over them on October 3, 2021. Two BJP workers, the driver of one of the vehicles, and a journalist were also killed in the ensuing violence.

(With PTI inputs)

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