Lakhimpur Kheri case: SC grants UP 2 weeks for response on Ashish Mishra's bail plea
Darpan News Desk IANS, 17 Oct, 2022 11:04 AM
New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday granted two weeks to the Uttar Pradesh government to file its reply on the bail plea filed by Lakhimpur Kheri violence case prime accused Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni.
A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and B.V. Nagarathna said it will hear the matter on November 7.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Mishra, submitted that notice was already issued in the matter.
On July 26, the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench declined to entertain Mishra's bail plea.
On April 18, the Supreme Court had cancelled the bail granted to Mishra and directed him to surrender within a week.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana (retired now) and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli asked the Allahabad High Court to examine afresh whether Mishra should be granted bail or not.
"Instead of looking into aspects such as the nature and gravity of the offence, severity of the punishment in the event of conviction, circumstances which are peculiar to the accused or victims, likelihood of the accused fleeing, likelihood of tampering with the evidence and witnesses, and the impact that his release may have on the trial and the society at large, the High Court has adopted a myopic view of the evidence on the record and proceeded to decide the case on merits," the top court had noted.
It had said that the high court had shown "tearing hurry" in passing the February 10 order, granting bail to Mishra, denying a fair and effective hearing to the victims.
Mishra was arrested on October 9 last year in the case. On October 3, 2021, eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri in clashes during a farmers' protest.
The family members of the farmers, mowed down by a car belonging to Mishra, in Lakhimpur Kheri had moved the top court challenging bail granted to him.
Terming the record-breaking figures a result of the good arrangements, he said the state government was committed to welfare of the farmers and would continue to take all possible steps to facilitate them.
When a foul smell emanated from the car in the morning, the ashram staff opened the vehicle and saw the body inside after which they informed the police. The police reached the spot, took custody of the body and sent it for post-mortem.
On January 12, the BSF had seized heroin, arms and ammunition along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, allegedly being pushed in by Pakistani-based smugglers.
The fortified rice would be available throughout the TPDS under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman-PM POSHAN [erstwhile Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM)] and Other Welfare Schemes (OWS), a cabinet statement said.
The accused, identified as Prince Emeka Lath (34), a permanent resident of Anambara in Nigeria, was presently residing in Tilak Nagar. He came to India on a tourist visa in January 2017, but even after his visa expired, he neither extended it nor returned to his country.
This was the eighth abstention at the UN by India on a matter involving the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Thursday's abstention by India was a defiance of Russia, which threatened those abstaining.
