Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Supreme Court questions UP govt for not arresting Ashish Mishra

 The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over the actions taken so far regarding the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case in which eight people had lost their lives. The apex court has asked the state government why Union Minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra has not been arrested even after being booked for murder.

An SC bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana told senior advocate Harish Salve, who is representing the UP government, to communicate to the topmost police officials that evidence and other relevant materials in the case are not destroyed.  

"There is no question of continuing with the officers who are already in the field. Because of their conduct, we don't expect that any good investigation will be done. They shouldn't destroy the evidence that is there. The DGP should take all steps to protect the evidence," said the Supreme Court.  

The bench further said that the onus is on the UP government to take action. It has asked the state government to file a detailed status report regarding the incident.   

"What is the message you [state] are sending," noted the bench, also comprising of Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.

The bench asked the UP government whether accused in other cases registered under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code are treated in a similar fashion as Ashish Mishra.  

"If you see the FIR, section 302 is there. Is it the same way you treat other accused," the SC bench asked while terming it as a "very serious charge".  

The UP government has told the apex court that the accused Ashish Mishra has sought more time to appear before the police for questioning. It added that the government has given him time till 11:00 am on Saturday, October 9 to appear before the police. If Mishra fails to do so, an arrest warrant will be sought against him.  

"We are not satisfied with the actions of the state," conveyed the apex court as it postponed the matter for further hearing till October 20. Chief Justice Ramana said, "Because of the sensitivity of the issue, we are not making any comments."

"Because of the persons involved, CBI is also not an option and we are not saying anything about the CBI. The CBI is not a solution because of the people involved in the case," he added.  

Eight people were killed in the violence on Sunday, October 3. Of the eight killed, four were farmers, who were allegedly mowed down by vehicles driven by BJP workers travelling to welcome UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya for an event in the area.

The other four were two BJP workers, a driver of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra and a journalist working for a private television channel.

Also Read: Lakhimpur violence: SC asks UP govt to explain whether accused have been arrested

Also Read: Lakhimpur violence: Protesters can't be silenced through murder, says Varun Gandhi