Main Lakhimpur accused denied free hometown visits
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to further relax the bail conditions of Ashish Mishra, the prime accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, rejecting his plea to freely visit his hometown in Uttar Pradesh for family functions
On Thursday, the Supreme Court declined to further soften the bail conditions imposed on Ashish Mishra, the key suspect in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. Mishra, the son of a former Union minister, is currently restricted from visiting or residing in Lakhimpur Kheri unless he is attending court proceedings. His legal team argued that this limitation impeded his ability to attend family gatherings, including his daughters' birthday parties.
However, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant dismissed his plea, stating there was no valid reason to grant the request. The court acknowledged granting Mishra temporary exemptions in the past for festival visits and family time, but he must return to Lucknow afterwards. This appeal emerged just a month after the Uttar Pradesh government cleared him of charges that an associate had attempted to sway a witness.
The state presented a final investigation report to the trial court, claiming it found no proof linking the accused or his father to the violence. One of Mishra's bail conditions prohibits him and his family from influencing witnesses directly or indirectly. During the hearing, victim's lawyer Prashant Bhushan alleged that several crucial witnesses, including eyewitnesses, had been removed from the trial.
He sought the court's permission to file an application, but the bench advised him to first seek clarification from the trial court. The Uttar Pradesh government informed the court that the trial was advancing well, with 51 out of the 131 prosecution witnesses yet to be questioned. The Lakhimpur Kheri violence erupted following a farmers' protest on October 3, 2021, resulting in the deaths of eight people.
Mishra was apprehended within six days of the incident. Police charges allege that he drove a convoy of vehicles that ran over four protesting farmers, leading to their deaths. Protests continued, resulting in the lynching of three convoy occupants. A journalist also died during the unrest. A separate case against four farmers, who are also on bail, has examined 29 witnesses, leaving only a few remaining.
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