New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government is “dragging its feet” in the investigation into the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday, Bar and Bench reported.
A bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Hima Kohli and Surya Kant had taken up the matter on October 7 after two lawyers sought the Supreme Court’s intervention in the case
Eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 during a protest against the three farm laws. Four of them were farmers.
Farmer bodies have alleged that a vehicle which was part of Union minister Ajay Mishra’s convoy ran over protestors who were holding demonstrations against the Centre’s farm laws. They claimed that the vehicle belonged to his son Ashish Mishra, who has been arrested.
On October 7, the Supreme Court had asked the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on the First Information Reports filed in the case, details of the accused persons and the arrests made in the matter.
At Wednesday’s hearing, senior advocate Harish Salve, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, said he had submitted the report in a sealed cover, Bar and Bench reported.
However, the court pulled up state government for delay in submission of the report.
“We have just received it [the report] now,” the chief justice said. “We waited till 1 am last night for any filing. But we received nothing.”
The Supreme Court also pointed out that there were 44 witnesses in the case, but the statements of only four had been recorded so far.
The court said the Special Investigation Team in Lakhimpur case will have to protect vulnerable witnesses, Live Law reported.
“Your SIT can recognise who are the most vulnerable witnesses and can be browbeaten…then why only four witness statements have been recorded?” Justice Surya Kant asked Salve.
Salve said that this happened because courts were closed for Dussehra holidays, Live Law reported. He sought more time for the recording of the statements, after which the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of the case to October 26. Scroll. In
