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Lakhimpur Kheri case: SC asks UP Police to submit report on Ashish Mishra allegedly influencing witnesses

Lakhimpur Kheri SP to furnish report in 4 weeks
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The apex court granted bail to Ashish Mishra on July 22 last year and restricted his movement to Delhi or Lucknow.. File photo
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Amid allegations of attempting to influence witnesses by 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case accused Ashish Mishra – son of former Union Minister Ajay Mishra, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Uttar Pradesh Police to furnish a report.

“In our considered view the veracity, genuineness and reliability of such material can only be gone into by the police administration. The police administration may submit a report in support or against the allegation made in the application seeking cancellation of bail,” a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh said, directing the Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police to furnish the report in four weeks.

Seeking the cancellation of Ashish Mishra’s bail, advocate Prashant Bhushan said he had an audio recording of an attempt made to influence crucial witnesses in the case. He also alleged Mishra attended a public meeting in violation of bail conditions.

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Denying the allegations, Ashish Mishra, however, said every time the matter was listed, such allegations were made to get his bail cancelled.

On behalf of Mishra, senior counsel Siddharth Dave countered Bhushan’s submissions, saying the accused was being targeted unnecessarily and that he was in the Lok Sabha Secretariat here on the day of the alleged public meeting.

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The Bench asked Bhushan and Dave to submit their material to UP Government standing counsel Ruchira Goel for handing it over to the Lakhimpur Kheri SP.

As Bhushan demanded that the inquiry should be carried out by some senior officers as the SP may come under pressure, the Bench said the SP was a fairly senior IPS officer and he should be trusted.

Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri when those against farm laws were holding a demonstration against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit on October 3, 2021. In the subsequent violence, two BJP workers, a driver and a journalist were killed. It was alleged that Ashish was driving one of the cars.

On January 25, 2023, the top court granted interim bail to Ashish Mishra and chose to convert it into regular bail on July 22, 2024 when it restricted his movement to Delhi or Lucknow. It had also directed the trial court to expedite the trial. On November 27, 2024, it had asked Ashish Mishra to respond to the allegations of witnesses being threatened.

A Lakhimpur Kheri court had on December 6, 2022, framed charges against Ashish Mishra and 12 others for murder, criminal conspiracy and certain other offences in the case. Virendra Shukla, the 14th accused has been charged under Section 201 of IPC for causing disappearance of evidence.

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