'It might take 5 yrs to complete trial', judge tells SC in Lakhimpur Kheri case
Darpan News Desk IANS, 11 Jan, 2023 12:26 PM
New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) A trial court in Uttar Pradesh, which is hearing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, has informed the Supreme Court that it might take five years to complete the trial in normal course. The cases involve Ashish Mishra as the prime accused, who is son of Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and V. Ramasubramanian noted that the sessions judge says that in normal course, it may take five years. The sessions judge, in a letter sent to the apex court, said there are 208 prosecution witnesses, 171 documents, and 27 forensic science laboratory (FSL) reports in the case.
The top court was hearing a bail plea filed by Ashish Mishra. During the hearing, the top court asked the Uttar Pradesh government counsel to confirm whether four accused in a separate case lodged over the killing of three occupants of the car, which allegedly mowed down farmers, are still in custody. The bench scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 19.
Last month, the apex court had asked the sessions court how much time in normal course would it take to complete the trial in the case.
On October 3, 2021, eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri in clashes during a farmers' protest. Mishra was arrested in the case.
The family members of the farmers, mowed down by a car belonging to Mishra in Lakhimpur Kheri, have been opposing Mishra's bail plea.
The trial court, last month, had framed charges against Ashish Mishra and 12 others for alleged offences of murder, criminal conspiracy and others in the case.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered a CBI probe into the death of Phogat. The move came after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recommended a CBI probe into the case as per demand of Phogat's daughter and people of Haryana.
The two-time chief minister of Punjab had fought the assembly elections in the state earlier this year in alliance with the BJP as well as Akali Dal (Sanyukt). His party - Punjab Lok Congress - though had failed to get even a single seat during the assembly elections.
During deliberations, the Chief Minister envisaged opportunities for mutual collaboration in business and solutions. He said that the alliance could provide on-field handholding to Punjab farmers in best practices of crop management.
Balkaur Singh, whose son was shot dead in daylight on May 29 close to his Moosa village in Punjab on May 28, had complained of uneasiness on Thursday night following which he was admitted to a private hospital in Patiala from where he was shifted to the PGIMER here.
Majithia told the media here that this was also necessary because the AAP government had neither made the FIR registered in this case public even after 24 hours, nor taken any action against any BJP leader or middlemen involved.
The matter came to the fore after the victim narrated the ordeal to her parents who rescued her and later approached the Women police station at Gurugram's Sector-51 and registered a case against the accused on Wednesday. The victim told the police that she had met Pooja at a Gurugram mall a month ago. Pooja had offered her a job at a doctor's clinic.
