Lakhimpur Kheri case: Supreme Court directs UP police to conduct inquiry into allegations of union minister's son influencing witnesses

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Uttar Pradesh police to conduct an inquiry into allegations of Ashish Mishra, son of former Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, influencing witnesses in a case related to the mowing down of eight persons in Lakhimpur Kheri.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed the applicant led by advocate Prashant Bhushan and senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the respondent accused to provide all materials with regard to the allegation before the Superintendent of Police who would conduct an inquiry into the matter.

The court asked the police officer to file a report within four weeks.

Bhushan, appearing for the family members of the deceased, claimed the witnesses were allegedly being influenced in breach of bail conditions imposed on the accused.

Dave, on the contrary, contended the applicants continued to make such allegations to grab media headlines. As far the allegations were concerned, he claimed, the respondent was not even present on the occasion.

The bench, however, said, "veracity, genuineness, and reliability of such materials, can be undertaken by the police, which should submit a report."

In January 2023, the top court had granted interim bail to Ashish Mishra in the case and it had also directed him to leave Uttar Pradesh within one week of his release from jail. This order, initially extended several times, was, subsequently made absolute.

In October 2021, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri district after violence erupted when farmers, who were protesting against then Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit to the area.