New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to further relax the bail conditions of Ashish Mishra, the prime accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, dismissing his plea that the restrictions were preventing him from attending family functions.
A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard Mishra’s application seeking additional relaxation of his existing bail terms. Mishra’s counsel argued that, because of the current conditions, he is unable to attend family events, including his daughters’ birthday celebrations.
The bench, however, held that no case was made out for further easing the conditions at this stage. “There is no ground to entertain this prayer at this stage. The application is dismissed,” the CJI said in the order, as reported by The Economic Times.
Lakhimpur Kheri Violence
The violence occurred on October 3, 2021, in Tikunia village of Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district during a farmers’ protest against the visit of then–Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
Eight people died in the incident, including four farmers allegedly run over by a vehicle, followed by the deaths of a driver, two BJP workers and a journalist in the ensuing clashes.
Mishra has been on bail since the Supreme Court granted him regular bail in July 2024, after earlier giving interim bail in January 2023. The bail, however, comes with conditions restricting his residence and travel, including curbs on entering Lakhimpur Kheri that were later partially modified to allow limited home visits. Earlier this year, the Court had also declined similar pleas for further relaxation to attend family functions, while continuing to monitor the trial’s progress, as reported by Bar And Bench.
Mishra is among several accused facing trial in the case.