A sessions court in Uttar Pradesh on Monday rejected the bail plea of Ashish Misra and two others accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Ashish Mishra (45) is the son of Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home, Ajay Misra Teni.
According to India Today report, the court had earlier in the day reserved its order on the bail petitions filed by prime accused Ashish Misra and two others.
Appearing for Mishra, defence counsel Salil Srivastava, Chandra Mohan and Awadhesh Dubey maintained that the Union minister's son was not present at the site of the violence on October 3.
The chief judicial magistrate's court had rejected Ashish Mishra's bail application on October 13.
Ashish Mishra has been lodged in prison since his arrest on October 9. He was arrested in connection with the October 3 violence near Tikunia village in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government today agreed to the Supreme Court suggestion that a former judge of its choice may be appointed to supervise the state SIT's probe on day-to-day basis into the violence.
The top court, while taking note of the state's consent, red flagged the issue of involvement of mostly low-ranking police officers in the ongoing SIT probe in the case and sought names of IPS officers, who are of UP cadre but not the native of the state, for being included in the investigation team.
At the outset, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the state government, made a statement to the suggestion made by the bench earlier saying, "I have taken instructions and your Lordship can make the order" on appointing a former judge to oversee the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.
The bench said it would need a day to decide the name of former judge and that he may be a Supreme Court or a High Court judge and take his consent.
"We need one more day's time because we need to talk to the judge concerned... We will list it again on Wednesday and find out the judge who is willing to take up the job," the bench said.
The bench had also said that it has no confidence and does not want the one-member judicial commission appointed by the state to continue the probe into the case.
Retired Allahabad High Court judge Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava was named by the state government to enquire into the eruption of violence on Tikonia-Banbirpur road in Lakhimpur Kheri district.
The police have so far arrested 13 accused, including Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra, in connection with the case.
Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in the convoy at Lakhimpur Kheri when a group agitating against the Centre's three new farm laws was holding a demonstration against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on October 3.
Two BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death allegedly by the angry protesters, and a local journalist was killed in the violence.
