The Supreme Court on Monday extended the interim
bail of Ashish Mishra till July 11 in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JK Maheshwari
while adjourning the matter said that the interim order in the matter will be
continued in the matter till July 11.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the
victim's family in the matter urged the top court to direct daily proceedings
in the trial court.
However, the court said that it may not be possible
as the trial court may be dealing with other such cases.
But the Bhushan insisted by saying that such cases
go on for twenty years and till that many witnesses related to the case died.
The top court said that this is the reason they have
kept the matter pending.
On January 25, the top court granted interim bail
for eight weeks to Ashish Mishra and imposed various conditions.
The Supreme Court directed Ashish Mishra that during
the period of his interim bail of eight weeks, he shall not stay in the State
of Uttar Pradesh or in the NCT of Delhi.
The top court also directed Ashish Mishra to inform
to concerned court about his location.
The Supreme Court also clarified that any attempt by
Ashish Mishra or his family to influence witnesses and try to delay the trial
may lead to the cancellation of his bail. The court has also directed Mishra to
mark his attendance at the concerned police station of his location.
The court also extended the benefit of interim bail
to the other four co-accused in the case by using his suo motu power.
Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay
Mishra, moved Supreme Court challenging Allahabad High Court which denied bail
to him in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
On July 26, 2022, the Allahabad High Court denied
bail to Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, in connection
with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
The bail was rejected by the Lucknow bench of
Allahabad High Court.
The said order is challenged by Ashish Mishra in the
Supreme Court filed through advocate on record T Mahipal.
Mishra is facing a case of murder for the incident
that took place on October 3, 2021, in which eight people, including four
farmers, were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri.
Mishra allegedly ran over the farmers who were
protesting against the Centre's three farm laws. He was arrested on October 9
and granted bail in February 2022.
Mishra, again moved to the High Court as the Court's
earlier order was set aside by the Supreme Court in April 2022 and had ordered
fresh consideration of his bail plea.
The top court earlier had set aside the Allahabad
High Court order dated February 10, 2022, and remitted the matter back to the
High Court. The top court had said that the order of the Allahabad High Court
cannot be sustained and had to be set aside and the bail bonds of the
respondent/accused are cancelled. The Court had directed Ashish Mishra to surrender
within a week.
Family members of the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri
incident moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order,
which granted bail to Ashish Mishra. The top court cancelled the bail plea of
Mishra.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had appointed a committee
headed by retired Punjab and Haryana high court judge Rakesh Kumar Jain to
monitor the probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.