Lakhimpur Kheri case: Supreme Court expresses displeasure over delay in sending report to UP government, hearing adjourned till October 26

The Supreme Court has begun hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in connection with the violent incident that took place in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri earlier this month. Eight people, including four farmers and a journalist, were killed in the incident. The court has taken suo moto cognizance in the matter and the last hearing had pulled up the Uttar Pradesh Police for unsatisfactory action in the investigation. The son of a Union minister is also one of the main accused in the incident.

As soon as the hearing began in the Supreme Court, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the UP government, said, "We have filed a status report in a sealed cover. The hearing should be adjourned till Friday. To this, the court said, 'We have just received this report. We have been waiting till late in the evening tomorrow. The hearing cannot be postponed. However, later the matter was postponed till next week due to non-disclosure of all the information from the UP side. The next hearing will be on October 26.

Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, was arrested by the police six days after he was considered an accused in the incident at Tikunia village in Lakhimpur Kheri. It was alleged that because of the political patronage of the accused, the police delayed the action.

On the last hearing, the court had expressed dissatisfaction with the police investigation, questioning the non-arrest of the accused named in the FIR and sending notices for questioning. The court had also sought a reply from the state government on handing over the matter to some other agency for a fair and independent investigation. However, Ashish Mishra has been arrested.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana heard the matter on Wednesday. In the letters sent to the Chief Justice, it was requested that a high-level judicial inquiry be conducted into the entire matter. In this, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was also demanded to investigate in a time-bound manner.

Let us inform you that on October 3, in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, there was an incident of people protesting against the agriculture law being crushed by a vehicle, after which the violent protesters present there to beat up three people including the driver of the vehicle. was given. A journalist was also killed in this incident. A total of eight people were killed. Supreme Court lawyer Shiv Kumar Tripathi had written a letter to the Chief Justice in this matter requesting him to take cognizance of the incident.