NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Monday rejected allegations against Ashish Mishra, son of former Union minister Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’ and an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident of Oct 2021 which claimed eight lives, that he had violated bail conditions, and allowed him to visit his hometown to celebrate Ram Navami with family.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said the allegation that Ashish had attended a function on Oct 3 last year at Lakhimpur Kheri despite being externed from the town appeared to be false because it was based on a photograph of a function held on Oct 3, 2021. SC said another allegation of him influencing witnesses in the case also turned out to be false.
Saying so, the court let Ashish visit his family on April 5-6 but barred him from meeting political workers. It directed him to return to Lucknow by 5pm on April 7.
Dave: Bhushan client brings new charges at every hearing
Appearing for an eyewitness, advocate Prashant Bhushan said the area block pramukh’s husband, who is a BJP worker, had attempted to influence the witness and attempted to dissuade him from deposing in court. “There is an audio recording of the phone call, and it should be investigated,” Bhushan said. The bench stated Bhushan’s client can approach police, which, if it finds substance in the complaint about the alleged attempt to influence the witness, will take steps to investigate. Kant asked prosecution to streamline the trial proceedings by pruning the list of witnesses for early examination of crucial and eyewitnesses.
Ashish’s counsel and senior advocate Siddharth Dave protested and said Bhushan’s client had the habit of bringing new charges every time SC hears the matter. He said Ashish has been living in Delhi and scrupulously adhered to the bail conditions and pleaded that he may be permitted to visit his hometown Lakhimpur Kheri to celebrate Ram Navami with his family.
Violence at Lakhimpur Kheri had erupted in Oct 2021 when an SUV mowed down four among farmers protesting the visit of UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya. Angered by the deaths, the farmers lynched a driver and two BJP workers. A journalist, too, died in the violence.