Lakhimpur Kheri violence case | SC says will keep a close watch on trial’s progress

The Supreme Court on April 24 orally said day-to-day hearings in the Lakhimpur Kheri killings case in the Sessions Court may affect the pace of other pending cases before the trial judge.

The Supreme Court on April 24 orally said day-to-day hearings in the Lakhimpur Kheri killings case in the Sessions Court may affect the pace of other pending cases before the trial judge.

Appearing before a Bench led by Justice Surya Kant, advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the victims, said only three witnesses of over 200 witnesses in the case have testified so far. He said that cases in which influential people tend to go on indefinitely in his own experience. Mr. Bhushan urged the Supreme Court to direct that at least two witnesses should be examined every week in the trial court.

Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra is an accused in the case. The prosecution case is that an SUV allegedly belonging to Mishra’s convoy mowed down farmers protesting controversial agricultural laws in a rally at Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh on October 3, 2021.

“Day-to-day hearing may not be possible… It may affect other case before the judge,” the Bench addressed Mr. Bhushan.

“Then let it go to another court… In my experiences such cases with influential people tend to go on and on and meanwhile witnesses either turn hostile or grow old and die,” Mr. Bhushan responded.

“That is precisely why we have kept the case pending here. Usually, we dispose of such cases,” the Court said.