[BREAKING] Lakhimpur Kheri: Supreme Court to hear appeal against Ashish Mishra bail on March 11

The Supreme Court on Friday said that it will hear on March 11, 2022 an appeal against the order of the Allahabad High Court granting bail to Ashish Mishra, who is the prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people were killed..The appeal was mentioned by advocate Prashant Bhushan before a Bench of the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice NV Ramana. The Court agreed to hear the case on March 11. .The counsel informed the Court that other accused persons were seeking bail based on this order, and thus urgent listing of the case was sought.The Court was also asked to observe that the High Court could not grant bail to others based on this order. The Bench, in this regard, asked the appellant to file a memo before the High Court. "You file a memo before the High Court. We will list on March 11 as the judge hearing with me is available then," CJI Ramana said..The petition was moved by family members of deceased farmers.The plea said that family members have been forced to approach the top court since the State of Uttar Pradesh has failed to file appeal against the High Court order granting bail..On October 3 last year, eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri during violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against the now revoked farm laws. The protestors had impeded the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who planned to attend an event in the area. A four-wheeler belonging to Mishra allegedly mowed down and killed eight persons, including the protesting farmers.After he was arrested, the Uttar Pradesh Police's special investigation team (SIT) filed a 5,000-page chargesheet before a local court, naming Mishra as prime accused in the case. In November, a trial court had rejected his application for bail, prompting Mishra to move the High Court..Single-judge Justice Rajeev Singh of the Allahabad High Court had granted bail to Mishra on February 10, stating that there might be a possibility that the driver of the vehicle that mowed down the protesting farmers sped up the vehicle to save himself."Indubitably, no firearm injury has been found on the body of the deceased or any other person, except the injury of the hitting from the vehicle. Furthermore, in case, the story of the prosecution is accepted, thousands of protesters gathered at the place of incident and there might be a possibility that the driver tried to speed up the vehicle to save himself, on account of which, the incident had taken place," the High Court order said.