Lakhimpur Kheri Case: PIL In Top Court Seeking to Include Names of Ajay Mishra, Keshav Prasad Maurya In FIR

(Judicial Quest News Network)

A PIL has been filed in Supreme Court for a direction to probe the alleged involvement of Union Minister Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’ and Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya in the Lakhimpur violence case, related to mowing down of farmers.

The plea drawn by Advocate Pradeep Kumar Yadav and filed through Advocate Sanjeev Malhotra AOR seeks direction to the SIT formed by the Supreme Court to implicate Union Minister ‘Teni and UP’s Deputy CM Maurya as accused in the case.

In this plea former BSF member Tej Bahadur Yadav sought direction to SIT to probe both Ajay Mishra and Dy.CM.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha had given a call for protest and stoppage of the convoy of Maurya and Ajay Mishra. At around 9.30 am, farmers from Lakhimpur and other districts of Terai region of Uttar Pradesh started gathering and parked their tractors at the Tikunia helipad in Lakhimpur. That at 2.20 pm, Maurya reached Nighasan guest house but could not reach Tikunia, Ajay Misra’s paternal village in Lakhimpur Kheri which is just 4 km from the Nepal border. He was to attend an award ceremony for the winners of a wrestling match held on October 2 at a primary school in Tikunia.

That the Tikunia’s District Magistrate and superintendent of police reached out to the protesting farmer in view of Maurya’s arrival. However, the farmers held their ground. Around 3 pm, a convoy of vehicles allegedly led by Ashish Mishra, son of Ajay Mishra, went to receive Maurya. On the way, farmers started protesting which led to clashes with BJP supporters.

That During the clashes, a car trampled the protesters, causing the death of four farmers. Farmers alleged that the car was driven by Ashish Mishra. That this triggered violence between the two groups as four more people, including the driver of the BJP leader, died, at 6.30 pm, police forces were deployed to the area. Internet services were also suspended in the district and borders were sealed to restrict political leaders from reaching the area.

That the famers were protesting against the Centre’s the three farm laws and were doing the peaceful protest and convoy is said to have mowed down farmers and journalist by jeep leading to four death which rose to eight after the violence broke out between protesting farmers and Mishra’s Men. That the petitioner’s farmer and social activist is demanding the independent inquiry and accused persons

who are found guilty in the incident should be punished as per law and Union Minister of State Sh. Ajay Mishra Teni, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and son of Ajay Mishra Teni, Ashish Mishra be Charge-Sheeted as per law and also emending the resignations of Union Minister of State.

Ajay Mishra Teni, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and arrest of Ashich Mishra as he is the main suspect in the incident in which 8 persons were killed and various other injured?

He claimed that Mishra had threatened the victims prior to the incident on October 3 and subsequently, sent his son for executing his plan.

The SIT in its report had recently claimed that the killings were not negligent act committed by the accused; rather, it was done intentionally as per the premeditated plan.

It may be noted here that on October 3, several farmers were holding protest against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to Lakhimpur Kheri district, when four protesting farmers were killed after they were mowed down by an SUV.

The SUV was the part of Convoy of the Union Minister of State for Home affairs and BJP MP Ajay Kumar Mishra Thereafter the police had filed a first information report against Ashish Mishra (son of minister Ajay Kumar Mishra) and several others in connection with the violence under Section 302 IPC.

Immediately after the incident n alleged video of the incident had also surfaced in social media showing a group of protesters moving forward on a road next to farm fields and then being mowed down by a grey SUV that speeds up from behind.

The UP Government had earlier announced that a retired High Court Judge will probe the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and also, 45 lakh compensation would be given to the families of the four farmers killed in the incident.

However, the Supreme Court last month appointed Justice Rajesh Kumar Jain, former judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, to monitor the investigation in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

A bench headed by the CJI NV Ramana, was hearing a PIL registered on the basis of a letter petition sent by two lawyers seeking impartial probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence of October 3.

The Uttar Pradesh Government recently told the Allahabad High Court that the statements of a large number of eyewitnesses in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident are yet to be ordered and therefore, it sought a further two weeks’ time to file its reply on the bail plea filed by Ashish Mishra, the main accused in the case.

The petitioner in the PIL plea before the Supreme Court is EX-Jawan, Tej Bahadur Yadav, who had unsuccessfully challenge the election of the prime minister Narendra Modi from the Varanasi constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha election before the Supreme Court.