The Supreme Court is likely to hear Ashish Mishra's plea on October 26. The hearing comes as the trial nears completion and judicial conduct faces scrutiny.
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Newdelhi,Oct 22, 2026 15:28 IST
The Supreme Court is likely to hear on October 26 a plea linked to the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, in which eight people were killed during a farmers' protest, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to appoint a new public prosecutor for the trial. On October 5, it also asked the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to act quickly on allegations that the presiding officer had transferred several cases to himself and acquitted the accused.
According to the Supreme Court website, a Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana will take up a plea filed by Ashish Mishra, the son of former Union minister Ajay Mishra 'Teni' and the prime accused in the case.
Mishra had approached the Supreme Court seeking bail and, after securing it, sought relaxation of the bail conditions. On August 6, the court refused to relax the conditions further.
The violence took place on October 3, 2021, at Tikunia in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district during a protest against Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area. Four farmers were run over by an SUV. A driver and two BJP workers were then allegedly lynched by angry farmers, while a journalist also died in the violence.
The trial is nearing completion, with the trial court having examined 86 of the 130 prosecution witnesses, PTI reported.
Earlier, the Supreme Court took note of submissions by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the victims, that the conduct of the presiding officer was objectionable as he had transferred several criminal cases to himself and acquitted the accused.
The Bench asked the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to examine the matter, take remedial action and submit a report in a sealed cover.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the High Court registry, later told the court that an administrative committee had to be formed to examine the allegations against the judge.
“The chief justice of the high court should take an appropriate action as per para three of our order dated September 22, 2026,” the Bench said.
“The Registrar (Vigilance) of the high court shall forward a report to this Court in a sealed cover, indicating the action that may be taken by the Hon'ble Chief Justice of the High Court,” the Supreme Court said in its order.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Mishra, said Bhushan had problems with everyone associated with the case, including the trial judge, the public prosecutor and the accused.
The Bench said it was not making any observations on the allegations or the response to them and listed the plea for hearing after two weeks.
In December 2023, the trial court framed charges against Mishra and 12 others, including charges of murder, criminal conspiracy and other offences, clearing the way for the trial in the main case.
The Supreme Court is now expected to consider Mishra's plea as the trial nears its conclusion and the Allahabad High Court examines the allegations concerning the presiding officer.
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