Ashish Mishra, the son of union home minister Ajay Mishra, will go on trial for allegedly running over farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, in February of this year.
A judge on Monday denied Ashish Mishra's request for the case to be dropped. Charges will be framed on December 5, the court stated.
On October 3, 2021, four farmers who had gathered to protest the now-repealed agricultural rules were mowed down in the Lakhimpur Kheri episode by a Mahindra Thar that was purportedly owned by Mishra's father. The incident also resulted in the death of a journalist.
Mishra was arrested only a few days later, following allegations that the police and government had stalled the investigation, whilst the supreme court intervened and demanded an inquiry.
Videos of the vehicle ramming farmers went viral, inciting outrage and harsh condemnation of state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his administration.
A committee led by retired judge Rakesh Kumar Jain of the Punjab and Haryana High Court was earlier constituted by the Supreme Court to oversee the investigation into the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri.
Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government had requested the Supreme Court that Mishra not be released on bail until the conclusion of the trial after terming the violence that took place as a "grave offence."
The state government had stated in an affidavit submitted on November 3 that the petitioner “Given the gravity of the offence, the criminal history and his influence may not be released on bail during the pendency of investigation and trial.”
