Lakhimpur Kheri Violence: Supreme Court Grants Bail to Ashish Mishra

The Supreme Court granted bail to Ashish Mishra, son of former Union Minister Ajay Mishra, on Monday in connection with the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence that resulted in eight fatalities.

The court also restricted his movement to Delhi or Lucknow.

On January 25, 2023, the top court had initially granted interim bail to Ashish Mishra in relation to the “unfortunate ghastly incident” of violence.

A bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan also extended bail to farmers involved in the case and instructed the trial court to expedite the proceedings.

“Considering all the attending circumstances, the interim order is made absolute … We are informed that out of 117 witnesses, only seven have been examined so far. In our view, the trial proceedings need to be expedited,” stated the bench.

They further directed the trial court to schedule the hearings, prioritizing this case while taking into account other time-bound or urgent matters that are pending.

The violence in Lakhimpur Kheri had erupted when farmers protested against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit. During the incident, four farmers were run over by a sports utility vehicle. Subsequently, a driver and two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers were allegedly lynched by enraged farmers. A journalist also lost his life in the violence, which sparked widespread outrage.