New Delhi, Dec 11 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Ashish Mishra, son of former union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra and the main accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, to visit his hometown Lakhimpur Kheri from December 25 to 31.
The Bench relaxed his bail conditions only to this limited extent.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted from the updated status report filed by Uttar Pradesh that 36 witnesses have been examined in the main trial, while 85 witnesses remain, and 10 have been exempted.
The Court also recorded the submission of the State’s Additional Advocate General that 789 trials are currently pending before the same trial judge.
Taking note of the extraordinary workload, the Court listed the matter for March 2026.
During the hearing, the Bench expressed concern over the severe burden on trial courts. Referring to earlier directions regarding the creation of specialised courts for MP/MLA, UAPA, NDPS, PMLA, NIA cases, the CJI observed, “Why don’t you think of setting up additional courts? It is really impossible for one trial judge to deal with so many trials.”
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Mishra, added that even MP/MLA special courts are overburdened.
The CJI remarked that the union Government has been cooperative in expanding judicial infrastructure and reminded that the Court had earlier directed the establishment of exclusive special courts dedicated solely to trials under special enactments.
On Mishra’s request to be allowed to visit his hometown, the Bench ordered, “Liberty is granted to the petitioner to visit and stay in Lakhimpur Kheri from 25th December to 31st December, subject to the same terms and conditions which were there earlier.”
In May, the Court had relaxed his bail rules and allowed weekend visits to Lakhimpur, with strict conditions including prohibition on political activity or participation in public events.
The case stems from the October 2021 incident in which vehicles from Ashish Mishra’s convoy allegedly ran over protesting farmers, leading to five deaths.
The matter quickly escalated into a political flashpoint, as Mishra’s father was then a union Minister.
The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance, pulling up the Uttar Pradesh Police for failing to arrest Mishra. He was subsequently taken into custody.
Key dates in this case: Allahabad High Court granted bail to Ashish Mishra in February 2022.
The Supreme Court set aside the bail conditions in April 2022, citing irrelevant considerations.
The case was remanded to the High Court, where it was again denied bail.
In Jan 2023, the Supreme Court granted Mishra 8-week interim bail, later it was extended and made absolute, with restrictions requiring him to reside only in Delhi or Lucknow.
Nov 2024, the Court sought his response on allegations of witness intimidation.
In Jan 2025, the Supreme Court directed the Lakhimpur SP to conduct a fact-finding inquiry.
With today’s order, Mishra receives a temporary relaxation allowing a week-long visit to his native place under existing strict conditions.
