Lakhimpur violence
NEW DELHI, Feb 2:
A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging grant of bail by the Allahabad High Court to Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, who was arrested in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that killed eight people including four farmers on October 3 last year.
Three family members of the farmers who were killed in the violence have sought a stay on the February 10 bail order of the Lucknow bench of the high court saying the verdict was “unsustainable in eyes of law as there has been no meaningful and effective assistance by the state to the court in the matter”.
“The lack of any discussion in the High Court’s order as regards the settled principles for grant of bail is on account of lack of any substantive submissions to this effect by the State as the accused wields substantial influence over the state government as his father is a Union Minister from the same political party that rules the State. “The impugned order is unsustainable in eyes of law as there has been no meaningful and effective assistance by the State to the court in the matter contrary to object of first Proviso to Section 439 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which provides that in grave offences notice of bail application should ordinarily be given to the Public Prosecutor,” said the plea which has been filed by Jagjeet Singh, Pawan Kashyap and Sukhwinder Singh through lawyer Prashant Bhushan. (PTI)
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