On Lakhimpur Farmers' Killing, Supreme Court Gives UP A Monday Deadline [13.11.2021]

13.11.2021 (Saturday, New Delhi)

On Lakhimpur Farmers' Killing, Supreme Court Gives UP A Monday Deadline

Lakhimpur Kheri Case: The Supreme Court had asked the UP government to inform about its stand on the suggestion of monitoring of the Lakhimpur probe by a former judge of a different high court.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted time till November 15 to the Uttar Pradesh government for apprising its stand on the suggestion that a former judge of a "different high court" should monitor the state SIT probe on day-to-day basis in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people including four farmers were killed on October 3.

"Would your Lordships give me time till Monday? I have almost got it done. We are working something out," senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the UP government, told the bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana.

"List on Monday," said the bench which, also comprised Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, acceding to the request.

The Supreme Court, on November 8, had expressed dissatisfaction over the probe and suggested that to infuse "independence, impartiality and fairness" in the ongoing investigation, a former judge of a "different high court" should monitor it on day-to-day basis.

The bench had also said that it has no confidence and does not want the one-member judicial commission appointed by the state to continue probe into the case.

Retired Allahabad High Court judge Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava was named by the state government to enquire into the eruption of violence on Tikonia-Banbirpur road in Lakhimpur Kheri district.

The state government was asked to inform about its stand on the suggestion of monitoring of probe by a former judge of a different high court.

"We, somehow or the other, are not confident and we do want any judicial commission appointed by your state government to continue," the bench had said.

Observing that the investigation was not going the way it expected, the bench had red flagged some of the issues pertaining to the SIT probe conducted so far and said: "prima facie it appears that one particular accused (in the farmers' mowing down case) is sought to be given benefit" by securing or procuring evidence from witnesses in the subsequent case related to the lynching of political activists by the farmers'' mob."


13 Nov 2021