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The Supreme Court connected Thursday (October 9, 2025) was informed that an FIR had been registered against erstwhile Union Minister and BJP person Ajay Mishra, his lad Ashish Mishra, and 2 others for allegedly threatening a cardinal witnesser successful the Lakhimpur Kheri killings case. The October 3, 2021, incidental claimed 8 lives, including those of 4 farmers who were mowed down during a protestation against the now-scrapped workplace laws.
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A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Baghchi was apprised that the FIR had been registered nether Sections 195A (threatening immoderate idiosyncratic to springiness mendacious evidence), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code astatine the Padua constabulary presumption successful Lakhimpur Kheri.
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The counsel for the State informed the tribunal that a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) had been deputed to Muskar successful Punjab, wherever the witness, Baljinder Singh, resides. His connection was recorded there, pursuing which the FIR was lodged. The tribunal was besides told that equipped constabulary extortion had been provided to the witnesser and his family.
Justice Surya Kant commended the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police for tracing the complainant and acting connected his grievance aft examining the presumption study filed by the Superintendent of Police, Lakhimpur Kheri. “The UP Police person done a commendable occupation successful tracing retired the complainant. Twice, they had sent a DSP-level serviceman to Punjab to find him,” helium observed.
The registration of the FIR follows the Supreme Court’s crisp rebuke of the UP Police successful August for its prolonged inaction connected a June 20 ailment alleging threats to the witness. The constabulary had cited the complainant’s unwillingness to sojourn the constabulary presumption arsenic a crushed for the delay. The tribunal had past observed that successful specified circumstances, a elder serviceman should person personally visited the complainant to verify the contents of the written complaint.
Witness threatened
According to the FIR, Mr. Singh alleged that connected August 16, 2023, erstwhile helium was preparing to depose successful court, Amandeep Singh and different unidentified idiosyncratic came to his in-laws’ house, threatened him, and attempted to bribe him with ₹1 lakh to dissuade him from testifying. Following the threats, helium relocated to Punjab for his safety.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Mr. Singh, had earlier informed the Bench that nary steps were taken contempt the court’s March 24 bid directing the constabulary to analyse the ailment and taxable a presumption report. During Thursday’s hearing, Mr. Bhushan requested that a DSP-level serviceman beryllium entrusted with the investigation, citing the sensitivity of the lawsuit and the illustration of the accused. However, elder advocator Siddharth Dave, appearing for Ashish Mishra, opposed the request.
Acceding to Mr. Bhushan’s submission, the Bench directed that the serviceman who had recorded the witness’s connection oregon different serviceman of equivalent fertile should “take the probe to its logical conclusion.” It besides directed the UP Police to spot connected grounds the latest presumption of the probe connected the adjacent day of hearing.
Mishra allowed to sojourn Lakhimpur during Diwali
Mr. Dave besides sought support for his lawsuit to sojourn Lakhimpur during Diwali to beryllium with his family. “I question your Lordships’ support for him to beryllium contiguous determination during the festival, taxable to specified conditions arsenic your Lordships whitethorn deem fit,” helium submitted.
The Bench allowed the petition but clarified that the stringent conditions imposed nether its March 24, 2025, bid would stay successful force. Earlier, the tribunal had granted Mr. Mishra a two-day relaxation to sojourn his hometown for the Ram Navami festival connected April 5 and 6, taxable to the information that nary enactment workers oregon functionaries beryllium contiguous during the celebrations. The tribunal besides recorded his undertaking to instrumentality from Lakhimpur connected October 22.
Mr. Bhushan further urged the tribunal to guarantee the expeditious behaviour of the trial, noting that “the proceedings tribunal is proceeding the substance precise infrequently” and that 99 witnesses stay to beryllium examined. “This is simply a superior case. The proceedings should beryllium expeditiously conducted. It should not endure the destiny that a batch of important trials successful the state do,” helium said.
Justice Surya Kant, however, declined to contented specified a direction. “It volition straight magnitude to monitoring of the proceedings by this court… If we bash this, immoderate mediocre persons mightiness suffer,” helium remarked, portion asking the State to ascertain the fig of pending trials earlier the acrophobic court. The Bench was informed that 23 witnesses person been examined truthful far, portion 9 person been dropped.
Ashish Mishra was arrested wrong six days of the October 3, 2021, incident. According to the constabulary complaint sheet, the killings were premeditated. Mr. Mishra allegedly arrived astatine the protestation tract successful a Mahindra Thar SUV accompanied by a convoy of vehicles, 1 of which ploughed into a radical of farmers. A writer was besides among the deceased.
Following the attack, enraged farmers allegedly pulled retired 3 occupants from 1 of the cars and killed them. A abstracted transgression lawsuit was registered successful transportation with the lynching, which remains pending trial. The accused farmers successful that lawsuit were granted bail successful January 2023.
Mr. Mishra was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court connected January 25, 2023, taxable to stringent conditions restricting his question and prohibiting him, his family, oregon his supporters from influencing oregon threatening witnesses. Prior to this, the Allahabad High Court had denied him bail successful July 2022.
