Supreme Court to hear Lakhimpur Kheri violence matter on Nov 8

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday the matter related to the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which eight people including four farmers were killed in violence during a farmers protestA bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli would hear the matter in which the apex court had on October 26 directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide protection to witnesses under the Witness Protection Scheme 2018The top court had also asked the Uttar Pradesh government to record the statements of other witnesses before the judicial magistrate under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure CrPC and expedite the examination of digital evidence by expertsStatements under section 164 of the CrPC are recorded before a judicial magistrate and they have evidentiary valueThe bench had sought a status report from the state government on the alleged lynching of a journalist and one Shyam Sundar by the mob after a vehicle mowed down four protesting farmersThe top court is hearing the Lakhimpur Kheri matter after two lawyers had written to the CJI seeking a highlevel judicial inquiry also involving the CBI into the incidentAlso read Lakhimpur Kheri Farmers turn down Ajay Mishra Tenis request for meetingThe counsel appearing for the state government had told the apex court on October 26 that out of 68 witnesses the statements of 30 witnesses have been recorded under section 164 of the CrPC and some more testimonies will be recordedOf these 30 witnesses 23 claim to be eyewitnesses A lot of witnesses are formal witnesses of recovery and all the states counsel had told the bench adding that 16 accused have been identified so farThe police have so far arrested several accused including Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishras son Ashish Mishra in connection with the caseFour farmers were mowed down by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri when a group agitating against the Centres three farm laws was holding a demonstration against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on October 3Two BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death allegedly by the angry protesters while a local journalist was also killed in the violenceFarmer leaders have claimed that Ashish Mishra was in one of the cars that allegedly knocked down the protesters but the minister has denied the allegationsSeveral farmer organisations are protesting against the three laws The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce Promotion and Facilitation Act 2020 The Essential Commodities Amendment Act 2020 and Farmers Empowerment and Protection Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 since last NovemberThe apex court had stayed the implementation of these laws in JanuaryInitially the protests started from Punjab but later spread to Delhi Haryana and Uttar PradeshThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever