Lakhimpur Kheri Violence: Allahabad HC Grants Bail to Union Minister’s son Ashish Mishra

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday granted bail to Ashish Mishra, the son of Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni and the main accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people including four farmers were killed.

Ashish Mishra had moved the high court after his bail plea was rejected by the lower court. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC had reserved its order on January 18 on his plea.

On Thursday, Justice Rajeev Singh granted bail to him in the case, the PTI reported. Ashish Mishra was arrested on October 9, 2021.

Appearing for Ashish Mishra, Senior COunsel GD Chaturvedi had argued that Mishra was not driving the vehicle that allegedly ran over farmers at the Lakhimpur Kheri protest on October 3 last year. He added that the post-mortem report of the victims showed no firearm injury. He further told the court that his client was innocent and there was no evidence against him that he incited the driver of the vehicle to crush the farmers.

The counsel for the complainant Jadjeet Singh had argued that the driver could not have mowed down the farmers if not on Mishra’s order as he was a person of influence being a Union minister’s son. However, the counsel did not provide any evidence in this regard.

Mishra has claimed in his bail plea that he was not in the vehicle during the incident and instead, he was attended a Dangal event in Banveerpur village, four kilometres are from the place of the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri, the Live Law reported. It further added that Mishra’s presence at the event is backed by electronic record and mobile location.

Opposing the plea, Additional Advocate General V K Shahi had said that at the time of the incident, Ashish Mishra was in the car that mowed down the farmers.

The plea also alleged that farmers had assembled to take revenge against Ajay Mishra’s statement, leading to the Sikh community consisting of the Khalistan Terrorist Organisation, apparently established from the logo on their shirts and “deadly weapons”, capturing the helipad to show protest.

According to the Live Law, the plea said, “…they are aggressors by committing murder and causing grievous injuries to the persons sitting in the THAR vehicle, knowingly that the vehicle belongs to the father of the applicant and while coming from their home the persons sitting in the THAR vehicle had not acted in covert manner and the driver of the THAR vehicle after sustaining head injuries might have lost his mental equilibrium or might have acted in the light of private defence and thus, no criminal liability can be attributed against the applicant.”

It further alleged that the convoy of the accused, including the Thar vehicle was attacked by an unlawful assembly formed by alleged protesting farmers and three persons sitting in the car were “done to death.”

After hearing the pleas, the bench of Justice Rajeev Singh had reserved its order.

On October 3 last year, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri during violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.