In the ongoing case concerning the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, the Supreme Court has clarified that there is no ban on the trial of Ashish Mishra, the main accused in the case.
The court also responded to a petition seeking the cancellation of his bail and directed that the trial would proceed without interruption.
The petitioners brought the petition, seeking the cancellation of Ashish Mishra’s bail, before the Supreme Court.
The court noted that a report presented by the petitioner’s lawyer, Prashant Bhushan, indicated a conversation between Tejendra Singh and an unidentified person.
However, the Supreme Court observed that the audio clip submitted by Bhushan, allegedly containing evidence of witness tampering, was actually between Amandeep Singh and Baljinder Singh.
Justice Surya Kant, heading the bench, stated that there is no ban on the ongoing trial and that it will continue.
The court will hear the case next on April 16.
During the proceedings, the lawyer for the Uttar Pradesh government suggested reconsidering the list of witnesses.
The suggestion was to prioritize the examination of crucial eyewitnesses and important witnesses to expedite the trial.
The court allowed Baljinder Singh to file a complaint with the police in this regard.
Senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, representing Ashish Mishra, raised objections to the audio report presented by the petitioner’s lawyer.
Dave argued that the report was meant for media dissemination, not for the court.
He further claimed that his client’s father no longer holds any political power and asserted that they should not drag his family, including his daughters, into the matter.
However, the judge urged the defense to wait, stating that the court would take appropriate actions if it found the allegations to have substance.
The Supreme Court had previously asked the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Lakhimpur Kheri to submit a report within four weeks regarding the allegations that Ashish Mishra had attempted to influence witnesses in the case.
The victim’s families have filed a petition seeking the cancellation of Mishra’s bail, based on the claim that he violated several bail conditions.
In the previous hearing, Ashish Mishra’s lawyer argued that the controversial photos circulating did not show Mishra.
The court had asked Mishra’s legal team to submit their arguments via affidavit.
In response, Mishra’s lawyer complained that his team faced constant applications filed against them.
Prashant Bhushan, representing the victims, pointed out that the Supreme Court granted Ashish Mishra bail on July 22, 2022, under certain strict conditions.
He allegedly violated the conditions by attending a public rally in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 1, 2022, a day before the scheduled trial hearing on October 2, which was also a national holiday, despite being prohibited from leaving Uttar Pradesh.
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