The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed Ashish Mishra, the prime accused in mowing down of four farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh in October 202, to respond to the allegation that witnesses were being threatened.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan directed Ashish Mishra to file an affidavit clarifying his stand after senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Mishra, denied the allegations.
Senior advocate Dave said that whenever matters are listed, something like this comes up.
On July 22, 2024, the top court had granted bail to Ashish Misra – son of former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra.
Earlier on January 25, 2023, the top court had granted interim bail for eight weeks to Ashish Mishra and imposed various conditions. Later interim bail was extended from time to time. Granting interim bail to Mishra on January 25, 2023, the top court had noted that the trial in the case is unlikely to conclude early.
Granting interim to Ashish Mishra, the court in its order had said, “We are conscious of grave allegations levelled against the petitioner (Ashish Mishra) but we must also acknowledge that principle of procedural fairness requires these allegations to be proved in the trial proceedings. In the present case charges have been framed, and the petitioner is in custody for more than a year. In view of the large volume of oral and documentary evidence…, trial cannot be expected to conclude that early.”
Mishra was first arrested in the case on October 9, 2021. He walked out of jail on February 15, 2022, after the Allahabad High Court had granted him bail.
In October 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, that erupted following the mowing down of the four farmers, eight people lost their lives including four farmers who were mowed down.
On December 6, 2023, the Uttar Pradesh court framed charges against 14 persons including Mishra. Mishra has been charged with a number of offences including murder, attempt to murder, rioting, and criminal conspiracy. The trial had begun on December 16, 2023.