Lakhimpur violence: SC grants 8-week interim bail to Ashish Mishra
What's the story
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to Ashish Mishra for eight weeks with conditions in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, ANI reported. Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra, is one of the accused in the case. Last week, SC reserved its order on his bail plea. Earlier, he had challenged the Allahabad High Court's order, which rejected his bail plea.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Mishra allegedly plowed through a farmers' rally protesting the now-scrapped farm laws in Lakhimpur Kheri district's Tikunia in October 2021. This triggered massive violence in the area, killing four farmers, two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, a driver, and a journalist. The event also elicited a strong reaction from the protestors, who accused the BJP administration of protecting the perpetrators.
Details
Supreme Court emphasized on rights of victims
The eight-week bail was granted to Mishra by the SC bench of Justices Suryakant and JK Maheshwari while emphasizing that the rights of the victims should be maintained. "We are not inclining any opinion in the case," the bench said. Mishra has been directed to leave Uttar Pradesh within a week and enter only on the hearing days in the trial court.
Proceedings
Eight-week interim bail granted on conditions
According to the Supreme Court's direction, Mishra will have to surrender his passport and share the address of his residence for the bail period with the court. The trial court will send all the details of the case to the SC after every hearing while the top court monitors the proceedings. The next hearing has been scheduled for March 14.
Arguments
Mishra accused of a heinous crime: Prosecution
During the last hearing, Additional Advocate General for UP Garima Prashad and senior advocate Dushyant Dave opposed his bail, arguing it was a heinous and grave crime and his bail would violate victims and their families. Representing those against Mishra's bail application, senior advocate Dave told the court that granting him bail would send "the wrong message in the society."
Plea
How did Mishra's counsel argue for bail plea?
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Mishra, opposed Dave's submission and pointed out that the accused had been in custody for over a year, and the way the proceedings are going, it'll take seven to eight more years to conclude them. After hearing, from both sides, the bench said it will pass the orders soon in this regard, considering every aspect.
Blame
Accused blamed police for not taking proper action
Just days after the violence, the accused blamed the local cops for the incident. Mishra had claimed that despite the intelligence inputs, the police did not take proper action. He alleged that barricades weren't installed on the route through which farmers were returning after a protest. However, Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) claimed that the incident was a "planned conspiracy."
About
What do we know about the incident?
On October 3, farmers protesting against the Centre's agricultural laws staged a demonstration against UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to Lakhimpur Kheri. Mishra's three-vehicle convoy allegedly mowed down the protesters walking on the road, triggering violence. Four farmers, two BJP workers, a journalist, and a driver were killed.