A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government.
The Supreme Court on Monday suggested that a former High Court judge supervise the ongoing investigation by the Uttar Pradesh Police. 3 October Lakhimpur Kheri incident In which eight people, including four farmers, were killed in violence during a farmers’ protest and said that the investigation is not going as expected.
A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana, represented by senior advocates Harish Salve and Garima Prasad, sought the response of the Uttar Pradesh government by Friday.
Watch: In Focus Podcast | What happened in Lakhimpur Kheri?
The bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hema Kohli, suggested the names of former Punjab and Haryana High Court judges, Justices Rakesh Kumar Jain or Ranjit Singh, who would oversee the investigation till the filing of charge sheets in the cases.
The bench said that the investigation is “not going on in the way we expected”.
It also took note of the delay in obtaining forensic reports in respect of video evidence.
Earlier, the bench directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide protection to witnesses under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 and to record the statements of other witnesses before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and expedite the examination. Had given. of digital evidence by experts.
The police have so far arrested 13 accused, including the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra. Ashish Mishra, with respect to the case.
Four farmers were crushed by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri when a group agitating against three agriculture laws of the Center staged a protest against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on October 3.
Angry protesters allegedly thrashed two BJP workers and a driver, while a local journalist was also killed in the violence.
Farmer leaders have claimed that Ashish Mishra was one of the cars that allegedly drove the protesters down, but the minister has denied the allegations.
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