Lakhimpur Kheri case: SC verdict on Ashish Mishra bail cancellation today

The top court on April 4 had reserved its order on a plea of farmers seeking cancellation of bail to Ashish Mishra

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Monday its order on a plea to cancel the bail granted to Ashish Mishra, the prime accused and son of a Union Minister in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, pertaining to mowing down of six farmers in October, last year.

A special bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, which reserved the order on April 4, would deliver the verdict at 10.30 am on April 18.

The top court had earlier objected to the Allahabad High Court's February 10 order giving credence to "irrelevant" details in FIR and post mortem reports to grant bail to Mishra.

The plea for cancelling the bail was filed by advocate Prashant Bhushan on behalf of Jagjeet Singh, a member of one of the victim's family.

Also Read — Ashish Mishra not a flight risk, says UP government in plea; SC reserves order on bail cancellation

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, who argued for the victims, had contended that the High Court relied upon the post mortem report to point out contents of the FIR which claimed of death by bullet injuries, which were not correct. Thus, the High Court had ignored the SIT report as well as the charge sheet, including statement of witnesses, he said. The petitioner also referred to an alleged physical attack on a prime witness after the bail.

The Uttar Pradesh government, for its part, denied the charge that it did not oppose the bail plea by Mishra before the High Court, as the charges against him were grave. It, however, said Mishra was not a flight risk.

The state government also said it had provided adequate security to all the 98 witnesses in the case, and the police are also in regular touch with them.

A court-appointed SIT headed by Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, former judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court, had recommended to the state government for filing an appeal against the High Court's order.

Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, was arrested on October 9, after the top court took into consideration a letter petition filed with regard to the October 3, 2021 incident.

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