Lakhimpur Kheri incident: SC to hear plea seeking Ashish Mishra’s bail cancellation on March 11

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday set March 11 to hear a plea challenging the Allahabad High Court order, which granted bail to the prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident case, Ashish Mishra, who is the son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan had sought an urgent hearing on the appeal against the Allahabad High Court order, before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana. He apprised the Court that others accused in the case are now moving bail plea on the ground of parity to the relief granted to Ashish Mishra.

The top court agreed to hear it.

Family members of the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident have moved Supreme Court challenging Allahabad High Court order, which granted bail to Ashish Mishra. The petition was filed through Advocate Prashant Bhushan.

In the Special Leave Petition, family members of the deceased in the incident have challenged the Allahabad High Court order dated February 10, 2022, wherein Ashish Mishra has granted regular bail.

The petitioner said that the Allahabad High Court order is “unsustainable in law”. They also said that they have approached the Apex Court as the Uttar Pradesh state has failed to prefer any
appeal against the impugned order.

“The lack of any discussion in the High Court’s order as regards the settled principles for grant of bail is on account of lack of any substantive submissions to this effect by the state as the accused wields substantial influence over the State government as his father is a Union Minister from the same political party that rules the state,” read the petition.

“The impugned order is unsustainable in eyes of law as there has been no meaningful and effective assistance by the state to the court in the matter contrary to the object of the first Proviso to Section 439 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which provides that in grave offences notice of bail application should ordinarily be given to the Public Prosecutor,” said the petitioner.

Even the victims were prevented from bringing the relevant material as regards the settled principles for grant of bail to notice of High Court as their counsel ‘got’ disconnected from the hearing on January 18, 2022, before he could barely make any submissions and repeated calls to the court staff to get reconnected were to no avail and application filed by the victims/petitioners, the petition said.

“Contrary to settled law, the High Court failed to form its opinion on the basis of the charge sheet on broad probabilities and has instead gone on the basis of far-fetched imaginary possibilities.

The High Court observed that there might be a possibility that the driver tried to speed up the vehicle to save himself, on account of which, the incident had taken place is perverse especially when there was nothing on record to show the same.

There is evidence in fact in the charge sheet to the contrary showing that the vehicles had been dashing at high speeds of 70-100 km/hr from the time they left the venue of the ‘dangal’; when they passed the petrol pump; when they crossed the police crossing; all the way to the scene of the crime; and the same has been attested to by various eyewitnesses including police officials on duty, the petition stated.

The petitioner said that Allahabad High Court has not considered the heinous nature of the crime; the character of the overwhelming evidence against the accused in the charge sheet; the position and status of the accused with reference to the victim and witnesses.

The likelihood of the accused fleeing from justice and repeating the offence and the possibility of his tampering with the witnesses and obstructing the course of justice while granting relief to the accused.

Ashish Mishra was released from jail last month followed by Allahabad High Court granting him bail. Eight people, including four farmers, had died in violence on October 3, 2020, in Lakhimpur Kheri.