New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Monday asked the trial court to indicate how much time is likely to be needed to conclude the trial in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case against Ashish Mishra. The court also sought to know how long the accused can be kept in jail. The Supreme Court was hearing the plea filed by Ashish Mishra challenging the Allahabad High Court order which denied bail to him in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Krishna Murari directed the Registrar General of the Supreme Court to communicate from the first Additional Sessions Judge at Lakhimpur Kheri and to find out how much time the trial of Lakhimpur violence case is likely to take without compromising with another pending matter. During the hearing, the court asked how to balance the interests of justice and society together here and said that if we keep him behind bars, we are not pre-supposing guilt. The court also remarked that the protection of witnesses has to continue and the fairness of the trial must not be compromised.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Government said that the case is of serious nature. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Mishra, said that his client was not present on the spot during the incident and he was attending the ‘dangal’ (wrestling) in some other place. The court sought to know the distance between the ‘dangal’ and the incident place. The lawyer replied that the distance is 4 km.
The court also sought to know how long Mishra has been kept behind the bars, and the lawyer responded that he has remained in jail for more than a year. The court also sought to know how many witnesses have been cited by the prosecution in the case. The lawyer replied that there are 200 prosecution witnesses in the case. The court remarked on how long the accused should be kept behind the bar and how to make a balance between the right accused and the victim.
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