File photo of Union MoS Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish Mishra after he was arrested in Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav/File) Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra and the main accused in the killing of four farmers and a journalist in Lakhimpur Kheri last October, was released on bail on Tuesday, four months after he was arrested on October 11.
“Ashish Mishra was released after all the bail formalities were completed,” Lakhimpur Kheri jail superintendent PP Singh said.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had granted Ashish bail on February 10, but he was not released as the court order didn’t mention that he was facing charges under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
Mishra’s lawyer moved the High Court for correction in the order, stating that it has a typographical error. The High Court on Monday directed that the two sections should be added to its previous order.
“The High Court order, along with the correction, was issued on Monday. It was submitted to the court of Lakhimpur Kheri District Judge Mukesh Mishra. The court directed deposit of two sureties of Rs 3 lakh each and personal bonds of the same amount… After the sureties and personal bonds were deposited… the court passed the release order of Ashish Mishra,” government counsel (Lakhimpur Kheri) Arvind Tripathi said.
Mishra is the second accused to get bail in the case. On January 11, the minister’s relative, Virendra Shukla, who was booked for the destruction of evidence, was granted bail by a local court in Lakhimpur Kheri.
On October 3 last year, a convoy of three SUVs, including a Thar owned by Ajay Mishra, ran over a group of protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri. Four farmers — Lovepreet Singh (20), Daljeet Singh (35), Nachattar Singh (60), and Gurvinder Singh (19) — and a journalist, Raman Kashyap (30) were killed and several others were injured.
In the violence that followed, two BJP leaders — Shubham Mishra (26) and Shyam Sunder (40) — and the driver of the Thar vehicle, Hariom Mishra (35), were killed. The mob also set ablaze two vehicles, including the Thar.
The SIT had arrested 13 persons, including Ashish Mishra, for the killing of farmers and a journalist. On January 3, the SIT filed a chargesheet against 14, including Ashish Mishra and his uncle, Virendra Shukla.
While granting bail to Ashish Mishra, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court said that “no firearm injury” was found on anyone and “there might be a possibility that the driver tried to speed up the vehicle to save himself, on account of which, the incident had taken place”.
The court also said that “while considering the overall facts” of the case, it “cannot shut its eyes to the killing of three persons… by the protesters” in the violence that followed.
Meanwhile, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will approach the Supreme Court over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
“The whole country and whole world watched the most infamous Lakhimpur Kheri episode of Ajay Teni and Ashish Teni, who despite having committed a heinous crime gets bail within three months. Everybody is seeing that and he will walk out of jail today,” Tikait told reporters in Lakhimpur Kheri.
“So is such a dictatorial government needed, or this type of system needed in which someone who mows down people under a vehicle walks out of jail within three months. How will they behave with the public in times to come? These are our issues that people need to understand,” the farmer leader added.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
