Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, was given bail in the Lakhimpur violence 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, to the two reports of a retired judge monitoring the SIT probe in the case suggesting cancellation of bail to Ashish Mishra.
In a hearing that stretched for nearly an hour, amid appeals against the cancellation of bail, the state government told the Supreme Court 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 petitioner’s lawyers.
