Lakhimpur Kheri violence case: Supreme Court refuses to further relax bail conditions of accused Ashish Mishra

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to further relax bail conditions for Ashish Mishra, the primary suspect in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. A three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, dismissed Mishra's plea for relaxed bail conditions and permission to attend family functions.

Mishra's legal counsel argued that the current bail restrictions prevented him from attending family events, such as his daughters' birthdays. However, the court dismissed this argument, stating there was no basis to entertain the plea at this point. During the hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the victim farmers, raised concerns about the trial's speed and the dismissal of critical witnesses due to the hasty proceedings.

Bhushan planned to file an application highlighting these issues, suggesting it should first be addressed before the trial court. The court agreed, stating such grievances should be raised at the trial court level, as the bench was not the appropriate forum to entertain them. Bhushan also mentioned that certain documents were being translated for a separate case involving an individual accused of attempting to influence a witness.

The bench expressed willingness to consider this application but emphasized that the trial court was the proper venue to determine the relevance of such witnesses. The trial court framed charges against Mishra and 12 others in December 2023, including murder, criminal conspiracy, and other offenses, following the Lakhimpur Kheri violence on October 3, 2021, where eight people, including four farmers, were killed during a protest against Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit.