NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed concern over delays in the trial of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, noting that no witnesses had been examined for nearly two months in the proceedings against Ashish Mishra, son of former Union minister Ajay Mishra, and others.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that the status report submitted by the Uttar Pradesh government failed to explain the non-production of witnesses.
"We direct the presiding judge to take lawful measures to secure the presence of witnesses," the bench said.
It asked the trial judge to make an endeavour to conclude the trial in a time-bound manner, and also to file a status report before it.
The apex court was hearing a plea related to the violence in Tikunia, Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight people, including four farmers, were killed on October 3, 2021, during protests against the visit of then Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
According to the prosecution, four farmers were run over by an SUV allegedly linked to Mishra. In the ensuing violence, a driver and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by protesting farmers, while a journalist also lost his life.
In December 2023, the trial court in December 2023 framed charges against Mishra and 12 others for alleged murder, criminal conspiracy and under other penal laws in the case of the farmers' deaths, paving the way for the trial.
(With inputs from PTI)
