New Delhi: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Tuesday rejected a bail plea of Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, reported news agency ANI. A bench of Justice Krishna Pahal had reserved its order on July 15 after the hearing in the case was completed. Ashish alias Monu was granted bail by the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on February 10, 2022, but the Supreme Court later cancelled the bail and directed the high court to decide his bail plea after affording adequate opportunity to the victim side.
Accordingly, the high court heard his bail plea afresh.
Meanwhile, the court, on May 9, rejected the bail pleas of co-accused in the case, Lavkush, Ankit Das, Sumit Jaiswal, and Shishupal.
The high court, while rejecting the pleas had observed that the four accused were actively involved in planning and participating in the heinous offence committed in a "cruel and inhuman manner" and as such did not deserve bail.
"These four accused and the main accused, Ashish Mishra alias Monu belonged to very influential political families as said and apprehension of the prosecution that they would interfere with the course of justice, tamper with the evidence and influence the witnesses, cannot be ruled out at this stage," the court had further observed while rejecting the bail pleas of four co-accused, as per a PTI report.
Ashish Mishra is a co-accused in connection with the killing of four farmers and a journalist at Tikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh on October 3 last year. The farmers and the journalist were mowed down by a speeding vehicle. In the ensuing violence, two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and the driver of a vehicle were also killed by an agitated mob.
Two FIRs were lodged in connection with the violence.