Lakhimpur Kheri is making headlines in 2021. Violence breaks out in Lakhimpur Kheri. Eight people died in the violence. Thereafter, Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, became the main accused in the case. The case was heard in the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the court granted bail to 12 other defendants in the case.
Allahabad High Court Justice Krishna Pahal heard the case. There are 114 witnesses in the case, and it is understood that only 7 witnesses have testified so far. Therefore, Justice Pahal said it will take time to complete the case. The court said a large number of witnesses had yet to be questioned and there was little hope of completing the trial any time soon. Therefore, this case meets the conditions for bail pending trial.
Which defendants were released on bail?
The Supreme Court has granted bail to Ashish Mishra, the main accused in the case. Thereafter, the High Court appointed the accused in the case Ankit Das, Nandan Singh Bisht, Latif alias Kale, Satyam Tripathi alias Satya Prakash Tripathi, Shekhar Bharti, Dharmendra Singh Banjara, Ashish Pandey, Rinku Rana, Ullas Kumar Trivedi alias to be released on bail Mohit Trivedi, Lavkush, Sumit Jaiswal and Shishupal. However, the High Court granted interim bail to the 12 accused on different dates last year.
What did the court say?
- The court said there was a crossover version of the case, in which witnesses accused the defendant of committing violence that resulted in death. Accused Sumit Jaiswal said the protesters launched an attack that led to the murder of Hariom Mishra. Both the defendant and the witnesses accuse each other, and each other’s versions are visible.
- The main accused Ashish Mishra alias Monu was granted bail by the Supreme Court on July 22, 2024. The court said that the FIR was registered in the name of Ashish Mishra. There is no FIR registered in the name of the accused in this case, which is why their case is better than that of the main accused.
- The court said the case was unlikely to be closed as the statements of many witnesses had not yet been recorded.
- The court said there was no indication that the accused had misused the interim bail granted last year. The court also said that the court therefore found these defendants fit for bail and they were granted bail.
What’s going on?
In 2021, Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri made headlines. In 2021, farmers protested against the new farmer laws. As a result, farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri staged protests. Then Ashish Mishra was accused of driving there and four farmers were crushed to death by his car. A total of 8 people died in this violent incident. A journalist also died.
In 2023, the Supreme Court granted 8-week interim bail to Ashish Mishra, the main defendant in this case. The bail has since been increased. Afterwards, Ashish Mishra was released on full bail on July 22 this year.
