Lakhimpur Kheri violence: HC to hear bail plea of minister's son 

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court will on Monday resume hearing the bail plea of Union minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra, allegedly involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that left eight people dead.

In the hearing before the Lucknow bench of the high court on Friday, the victims' side had cited the rejection of the bail pleas of co-accused Ankit Das and others in the case. The council had also argued that Mishra's bail plea was not maintainable, citing new offences added against him during the police investigation.

Justice Krishan Pal had then fixed July 11 as the next date for the hearing. Four farmers, part of a protest against the now-repealed farm laws, were killed on October 3 last year when a car mowed them down near Tikonia village in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri.

It was alleged that Ashish Mishra was sitting in one of the cars in the convoy. In the subsequent violence, two BJP workers and a driver were killed. A journalist was the eighth victim.

That day the farmers were protesting against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to Ajay Mishra's native Banbir village.

In April, the Supreme Court cancelled the bail granted to the minister's son by the high court but directed that the HC could re-examine the matter. Ashish Mishra had then filed a fresh bail plea.

The violence during the farmers' year-long protest over the agriculture laws had triggered outrage and the Opposition mounted a campaign seeking the removal of Ajay Mishra from the Union cabinet.