Aayushi Srivastava –
Published On: November 08, 2021 at 12:45 IST
A Supreme Court Bench comprising the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli expressed dissatisfaction in the Uttar Pradesh Police investigation into the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri Violence and stated that the investigation is “not going the way we expected”.
Eight persons were killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri Violence on October 3, four of them were Farmers Protesters who were reportedly mowed down by cars in Ashish Mishra’s convoy, the son of Union Minister and BJP MP Ajay Kumar Mishra.
The Bench was dissatisfied that the forensic lab reports on the video Evidence had not yet arrived, and that all of the Accused’s cellphones had not been taken.
The Court stated that it has reason to believe that attempts are being made to assist one of the Accused in the case.
The Bench was also concerned that by combining the Investigation with the Counter-Case of Mob Lynching the case would be diluted.
The Bench stated that it intends to assign a Retired Judge from another State’s High Court to guarantee that the Evidence in both cases does not overlap.
“There is a need to infuse fairness and impartiality in the investigation”, the Bench orally commented.
Senior Advocate Harish Salve, representing the State of Uttar Pradesh, requested more time to seek instructions from the State Government on the Bench’s recommendations. As a result, the Bench postponed the hearing until November 12th.
“We have seen the status report. There is nothing in the status report. After the last hearing date, we granted 10 days adjournment. Lab reports have not come. It is not going the way we expected” Chief Justice of India NV Ramana stated.
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