The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it will hear a petition challenging the bail granted to Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case tomorrow, ANI reported.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said that it will constitute the same bench that had been hearing petitions pertaining to the violence.
Ashish Mishra had allegedly ran over eight people, including four farmers and a journalist, with a car on October 3 during a protest in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district against the now-repealed three farm laws.
He was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court on February 10. Families of the deceased farmers had challenged the bail order in the Supreme Court last month.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for some farmers, had told the Supreme Court on March 11 that a prime witness in the case was attacked the night before.
Referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in all eight seats in Lakhimpur Kheri district in the recently-concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Bhushan also said that the prime witness was being threatened, PTI reported. “The people who attacked the witness threatened by saying now that BJP has won, they will take care of him,” he submitted.
Bhushan added that other co-accused were also seeking bail after the Allahabad High Court order granted bail to Ashish Mishra. He then urged Chief Justice NV Ramana to “urgently hear a plea” filed against his bail order.
On Tuesday, Chief Justice NV Ramana took note of Bhushan’s submissions and said a new bench would be constituted to hear the plea on Wednesday.
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