Lucknow: The Supreme Court (SC) asked the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government why are very few witnesses in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case when hundreds of farmers were present at the rally?
It also directed the UP government to grant protection to the witnesses in the case. The court made the observation while holding a suo motu hearing on the matter. Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for UP government, told Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana-led bench that out of 68 witnesses, statements of 30 witnesses have been recorded under and 23 persons claim to be eyewitnesses of the incident.
The court then said that there were hundreds of farmers in the rally and asked why only 23 eyewitnesses are there. It asked the UP government to identify more witnesses.
“There was a crowd of 4,000-5,000 persons who are all local people and even post-incident most of have been agitating. This is what has been reported. Then, the identification of these people should not be a problem,” the bench said.
The state government, in its reply, said people have seen the car and the people who were inside the car.
The court then told UP government that if the eyewitness is more credible than a bystander then it is best to have first-hand information.
The bench further ordered protection of witnesses in the Lakhimpur Kheri case and directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to expedite recording of eyewitnesses’ statements before a judicial magistrate.
“We direct the District judge concerned to entrust the task of recording of evidence under section 164 of the CrPC to the nearest judicial magistrates available,” said the bench which also comprised justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.
The court also sought a separate status report on death of four people, including a local journalist, in the incident and posted the matter for hearing on November 8.
As many as eight people, including four farmers and a journalist, were killed on October 3 during a farmers’ protest in Lakhimpur Kheri district. An SUV, belonging to Union minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra’s convoy, ran over them. Thirteen people, including Ashish Mishra, the prime suspect in the case and the Union minister’s son, have so far been arrested in connection with the incident.
In its last hearing, the court had rapped the Uttar Pradesh Police for “dragging its feet” in the investigation.
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