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Supreme Court pulls up UP police in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case

NEW DELHI: The The Supreme Court (SC) today rapped the Uttar Pradesh (UP) police in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case saying that it was getting the impression that they 'were dragging their feet' since they had not yet taken the statements of all witnesses in the case and remarked that 'this should not be an unending story.'

A bench comprising the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli asked Senior Advocate Harish Salve, who appeared for the UP police on behalf of the state government why the statements of only 4 are being recorded under section 164 in the case so far, out of 44 witnesses.

Statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure are recorded before a judicial magistrate and they have evidentiary value. 

When Salve pointed out that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) are in the process of recording statements of more witnesses, the bench noted that the SIT can well identify the most vulnerable witnesses and record their statements, then why only four statements have been recorded so far.

The bench orally noted, "It appears that you are dragging your feet, please dispel that impression, the probe should not be an 'unending story," further adding that protection to the victims as well as the witnesses was also very important in the probe.

The incident happened on the October 3 violence in Lakhimpur Kheri in which eight persons including four farmers were killed during a farmers' protest, and it was alleged that Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish was the main culprit who was driving a car that ran over the protesting farmers.  

Coming under severe criticism over the incident, the UP police made about 10 arrests and a few days later it also arrested Ashish in connection with the case.

The SC had asked the state government for a status report on who all have been arrested and for what crime and during the hearing Salve said arrests have been made for 2 crimes. One was for mowing down the farmers and the others for lynching those connected to the car. He said, in the first case 10 have been arrested out of which four of them are in police custody and the rest are in judicial custody. The court said it would take up the matter on 26th October.

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