Farmers Movement Archive

Lakhimpur violence: UP seeks more time to respond to SC

The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday sought some more time from the Supreme Court to revert to the court’s recommendation for appointing a retired high court judge from outside Uttar Pradesh to oversee the probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri incident so as to “infuse fairness, independence and faith” into it.The top court has been critical of the manner in which the state police have so far conducted the investigation in the case where eight people died in the incident on October 3 -- four farmers, three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, and a journalist.Representing the UP government, senior counsel Harish Salve asked for some time from the bench, led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, saying: “Please give me a day or two. Something is being worked out.”On Salve’s request, the bench, which also comprised justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, adjourned the case to November 15.On November 8, the bench had pulled up the UP police, commenting that the investigation into the Lakhimpur Kheri incident appears to be favouring the “main accused” in the case.The remarks continued the trend of the top court’s dissatisfaction with the probe in the case where a convoy, in which at least one vehicle belonged to Union minister Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’, ran over farmers protesting three farm laws.Ashish Mishra, the son of the minister, is one of the accused in one of the two cases (the convoy running over farmers) being investigated. The other case being investigated by the police relates to the lynchings of some of the occupants of vehicles in the convoy.

Hindustan Times

13-11-2021

Lucknow