SC directs witness protection, expediting forensic examinations in Lakhimpur Kheri case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide protection to all witnesses and expedite forensic examinations of evidences in the case of October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri violence relating to killings of eight people, including four farmers.

A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana passed a written order, while going through a status report filed by the state government in sealed cover, in compliance of the top court's order of October 20.

"We are as of now concerned with two issues. One is about the delay in getting all the reports by the state government from the forensic laboratories. In this regard, we direct the state government to make a request to the concerned forensic laboratories to provide all the reports to it as early as possible," the bench directed.

"The second issue is that of protection of witnesses. Even though we have orally directed to provide protection to all the witnesses and the state has also taken some steps to do the needful yet to get out of the procedural formalities, we direct the state government to provide protection to all the witnesses as per the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018," the bench added.

In its order, the bench also said if the state government feels any difficulty due to non-availability of judicial officers for recording of statement of witnesses under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, we direct the concerned District Judge to entrust this task of recording of statements of these witnesses to any nearest magistrate.

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