The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down hard on the Uttar Pradesh government for its ongoing probe into the sensational Lakhimpur Kheri case, saying it thought police are “dragging” “feet” and they are required to “dispel” that impression and ensure recording of statements of witnesses before magistrates and their protection
Supreme Court of India (File image)
New Delhi:
“We think you are dragging your feet, please dispel that impression,” observed the top court, adding that the probe should not be an “unending story” and red-flagged the issue of non-recording of statements of nearly 40 prosecution witnesses, of the total 44, before judicial magistrates under section 164 of the CrPC.
“Please ask them to immediately take steps to record Section 164 statements. That is the most important thing...protection to the victims as well as the witnesses,” said the bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.
The apex court, hearing a matter about the October 3 violence in Lakhimpur Kheri in which eight persons including four farmers were killed during a farmers’ protest, was told by the State government that statements of four out of the 44 witnesses have been recorded by the judicial magistrate.
The bench raised the issue of filing of status report on the day of hearing with the CJI observing, “we waited till 1 am last night for any filing. But we received nothing”.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, who appeared along with advocate Garima Prasad for the state government, said the status report has been filed in a sealed cover on Wednesday because of the impression that it was for the perusal of the court only.
“No that was not required and we have just received it now...we never said anything about sealed covers,” the bench said while declining the request to hear the matter on Friday. It listed the next hearing on October 26.
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