On Monday (8th November 2021), the Supreme Court scheduled to hear the matter related to the Lakhimpur Kheri incident that occurred on 3rd October in which eight people were killed in the violence, out of which four were farmers during the farmers protest.
The other four dead comprised of two BJP workers and a driver who was allegedly beaten to death by the highly angered protestors.
Also, a local journalist ended up being killed during the violence.
Farmer Leaders have stated Ashish Mishra, son of Union Home Minister of State Ajay Mishra, was also in one of the SUVs in Lakhimpur Kheri, which ran over the group of farmers agitating against the Three Farm Laws.
Demonstration against the visit of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya of Uttar Pradesh on 3rd October was being held by the protesting farmers.
The bench which would hear the matter of Lakhimpur comprises Chief Justice N V Ramana along with justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.
All persons who have come forward in the case as witnesses will be protected by the state government under the 2018 Witness Protection Scheme as directed by the Supreme Court.
Witnesses will record their statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC) as directed by the Supreme Court; it also stated after taking statements, experts will speed up the examination of the digital evidence collected by the Government.
These statements taken under CRPC hold a high evidentiary value and hence, are recorded before a Judicial Magistrate only.
As per direction given by the bench to the UP state government, it has been notified to produce a status report on the alleged lynching of a journalist and a person named Shyam Sundar by the mob after a vehicle ran down four protesting farmers.
The supreme court has agreed to hear the Lakhimpur case after a written request to the Chief Justice of India was filed by a couple of lawyers who sought a high-level judiciary inquiry into the incident also involving the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation).
Thirty witnesses out of a total of 68 witnesses had their statements recorded under CRPC’s section 164. Twenty-three witnesses have claimed to be eye-witnesses.
The police have arrested 16 accused so far including Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Home Minister of state.
The protest against the three farm laws had started from Punjab and later on spread to Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
The Supreme Court had given a stay on implementation of these farm laws in January.