In UP farmers’ killing, Supreme Court told minister’s son ‘not at flight risk’

In a hearing that stretched for nearly an hour amid appeals against the cancellation of bail to union minister Ajay Mishra’ son, Ashish, in Uttar Pradesh farmers’ killing case, the Supreme Court was on Monday told by the state government that while the “alleged offenses are serious”, the accused is “not at flight risk”.

The Supreme Court has reserved the order in the case for now. The state government also assured during the hearing that all witnesses in the case have been provided proper security, a claim that was contested by the petitioners’ lawyers.

Ashish Mishra was given bail in the case – which had triggered a huge political row ahead of the state elections – on February 10.

On March 30, a special bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli had told the state government to respond by April 4, which is today, to the two reports of a retired judge monitoring the SIT probe in the case suggesting cancellation of bail to Ashish Mishra. “There are two letters sent by the SIT to the Additional chief secretary (home) of the Uttar Pradesh government by the monitoring judge who had written to the state to file appeal in SC to cancel bail of main accused Ashish Mishra,” the bench had said at the time.

The lawyers for the UP government on Monday told the court: “We got the report(SIT)on Friday and sent it to the state government.”

To this, the chief justice replied: “You didn’t respond when letter was written.This is not a matter where you’ve to wait so much.”

Eight people were killed in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on October 3 when violence erupted during a farmers’s protest against deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit to the area. Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV, in which Ashish Mishra was sitting, according to a police FIR.