The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that its investigation had found no evidence to suggest that Ashish Mishra or his father, former Union Minister Ajay Mishra, was involved in the alleged intimidation of witnesses in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
The submission was made before the Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana during the hearing of Ashish Mishra’s bail matter, in which the Supreme Court continues to monitor the progress of the trial while he remains on bail granted by the Court.
The State placed a status report before the Bench stating that the investigation into the FIR alleging witness intimidation had been completed. According to the report, the police had filed a chargesheet only against Amandeep Singh, and the competent trial court had already taken cognisance of the chargesheet.
The investigation, however, did not reveal any incriminating material against Ashish Mishra, Ajay Mishra or any other persons named in the allegations, and the police concluded that they were not involved in the alleged offence.
The Supreme Court recorded the contents of the status report and granted the complainant two weeks’ time to file an additional affidavit responding to the findings of the investigation. Counsel appearing for the complainant indicated that a detailed response would be filed challenging the conclusions reached by the investigating agency.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Ashish Mishra, submitted before the Court that his client had not even been named in the chargesheet filed in the witness intimidation case. He further informed the Bench that the trial in the principal Lakhimpur Kheri case was likely to conclude within three months.
The status report also disclosed that 64 prosecution witnesses were yet to be examined in the main trial. The Supreme Court listed the matter for further hearing next month.
The witness intimidation case originated from a complaint lodged by Baljinder Singh, a prosecution witness in the main Lakhimpur Kheri trial, who alleged that he had been threatened to withdraw or alter his testimony. The Supreme Court had earlier expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the Uttar Pradesh Police handled the complaint after the police claimed that the witness had failed to come forward to record his statement.
Rejecting that explanation, the Court directed a senior police officer to personally visit the witness and record his statement. Pursuant to the Court’s directions, the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Lakhimpur Kheri, traced the complainant in Muktsar, Punjab, recorded his statement and registered an FIR under Sections 195-A (threatening a person to give false evidence), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The principal criminal case arises out of the violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, 2021, when vehicles allegedly linked to Ashish Mishra’s convoy ran over protesting farmers during demonstrations against the farm laws. The incident triggered widespread violence, resulting in the deaths of eight persons, including four farmers, while several others sustained injuries.
Ashish Mishra is facing trial for offences arising out of the incident and continues to remain on bail under the supervision of the Supreme Court, which has been periodically monitoring the progress of the trial to ensure its expeditious conclusion.
The post Lakhimpur Kheri violence: UP Police tells Supreme Court it found no evidence against Ashish, Ajay Mishra in witness intimidation case appeared first on India Legal.