Lakhimpur Kheri Case: Supreme Court Cancels Bail of Minister’s Son
By RMN News Service
The Supreme Court of India today (April 18) cancelled the bail granted to Ashish Mishra who is accused of murdering protesting farmers in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) state last year. Ashish Mishra – who is the son of an Indian minister Ajay Mishra – was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court on February 10.
His bail order was challenged by the families of farmers who were killed on October 3, 2021 at Lakhimpur Kheri in UP. The Supreme Court said in its order that the high court order was based on irrelevant observations and ignored relevant facts. The Supreme Court has directed Mishra to surrender before the police within a week.
According to the Bar and Bench news site, a bench of Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli sent the matter back to the Allahabad High Court for fresh consideration. The Supreme Court said that the victims’ families were not given adequate time to be heard.
The family members of the deceased farmers – who were run over by a car belonging to minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra – had moved the Supreme Court for the cancellation of bail granted to the minister’s son. Ajay Mishra belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi.
In February 2022, the Allahabad High Court had granted bail to Ashish Mishra in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case in which four protesting farmers and another person were killed.
The united body of farmers – Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) – has been demanding the arrest of minister Ajay Mishra also who is accused of a conspiracy to murder the farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri. However, SKM was shocked to know that, let alone arresting the minister, even his accused son was released from jail.
While Indian courts are very weak and generally do not take actions against politicians in the ruling party, politicians tend to ignore court orders. Therefore, there is still a probability that Ashish Mishra will circumvent the Supreme Court order to avoid arrest and jail term.
