Supreme Court gives UP time till Monday to appoint ex-judge to supervise Lakhimpur probe

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 12

The Supreme Court on Friday gave time till Monday to the Uttar Pradesh Government to spell out its stand on the court’s suggestion to appoint a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to monitor the probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

At the outset of the hearing, senior counsel Harish Salve ndash; representing the UP Government ndash; requested a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana to grant time till Monday to work it out. “Would your Lordships give me time till Monday? I have almost got it done. We are working something out,” Salve told the Bench, which also included Justice Surya Kant Justice Hima Kohli.

Accepting Salve’s request, the top court ordered the matter to be listed on Monday, November 15.

Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri when those against farm laws were holding a demonstration against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit on October 3. Two BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death allegedly by angry protesters. A local journalist was also killed in the violence.

Ten people, including Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, have been arrested in the case by an SIT set up by the Uttar Pradesh government.

Dissatisfied with the probe into the case, the top court had on November 8 suggested that a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court be appointed to monitor it till filing of a chargesheet.

Noting that it was not confident about the manner in which evidence was being recorded by the UP SIT, the Bench had said it wanted to appoint former Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge Ranjit Singh or Justice RK Jain to oversee the manner in which statements of witnesses were being recorded.

“It (probe) is not going the way we expected,” the Bench had noted while asking Salve to seek instructions from the UP Government on the issue.

“The prima facie view we get is that one particular accused is being benefited by recording statements of witnesses in a particular manner…What will happen to the investigation then?” it had wondered.