Supreme Court to hear in Lakhimpur Kheri case on Wednesday
The Supreme Court is set to hear today the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed during a farmers’ protest. A bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, who expressed dissatisfaction over the steps taken by the Uttar Pradesh government in the “brutal” killing of eight people on October 8, will hear the matter.
So far ten people, including Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra, have been arrested in the case.
The top court is hearing the matter after two lawyers wrote to the CJI, seeking a high-level judicial inquiry into the incident, including by the CBI.
The top court, while hearing the case on October 8, had questioned the Uttar Pradesh government over the non-arrest of all the accused and directed them to keep the evidence safe.
The bench had said “the law must take its course against all the accused” and “the government will have to take all remedial steps in this regard to instill confidence” in the probe into the “brutal killing of eight persons”.
On October 8, the counsel appearing for the state government had assured the apex court that all appropriate action would be taken in the matter.
Four farmers were crushed by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri when a group agitating against the Centre’s three new agricultural laws staged a protest on October 3 against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
Angry protesters allegedly thrashed two BJP workers and a driver, while a local journalist was also killed in the violence.
Many farmer organizations are opposing the passage of three laws – Farmer Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Agriculture Service Act, 2020 from last November.
The apex court had in January stayed the implementation of these laws.
Initially, the protest started in Punjab in November last year and later spread to Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
(with inputs from PTI)
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