The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday granted short-term bail to Lakhimpur Kheri violence accused Ankit Das until March 16 on the basis of parity with co-accused Ashish Mishra. Mishra was granted 8 weeks interim bail by the Supreme Court last month.
The bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan ordered his release on interim bail until March 16 on the condition that he file a personal bond and two sureties in the same amount to the satisfaction of the Court/Magistrate concerned.
The order of the Court subjects him to the same conditions as imposed upon Mishra by the Supreme Court in its 25 January order. Das has been ordered not to enter Delhi or Uttar Pradesh during his interim bail period.
Das is one of 13 men accused of murdering four farmers and a journalist in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3. Das is the nephew of former Union Minister Akhilesh Das. The SUV that was behind the Thar that hit the four farmers is said to owned by him
He was charged under Sections 147, 148, 149, 302, 120-B, 307, 326/34, and 427/34 IPC, as well as Section 30 of the Arms Act and Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act, and his bail application was denied by the High Court in May 2022.
However, he was granted short-term bail on medical grounds in September last year after his counsel submitted that he is dealing with multiple health issues and that his health has deteriorated during his incarceration in jail since October 2021.
In related news, the Supreme Court last month ordered Ashish Mishra to leave the state of Uttar Pradesh within one week of being granted interim bail and not to stay in either the state of UP or the NCT of Delhi during the interim bail period.
He must surrender his passport before the trial court and is only permitted to enter the state of UP to attend the trial court proceedings. Any attempt by Mishra, his family members, or supporters to influence or intimidate a witness, directly or indirectly, will result in bail being revoked.
