Lakhimpur Kheri case: Jail manual flouted for Union minister's son Ashish Mishra, reveals RTI
RTI response reveals that the prison manual has been blatantly flouted.
FollowInformation accessed under Right to Information has exposed the preferential treatment being given to jailed Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish Mishra. The numerous violations of jail protocol include six visits by relatives in less than a month instead of the one visit fortnightly permissible. RTI activist T Narasimha Murthy said that under Model Prison Manual, a jailed person will be allowed to meet relatives or lawyers only once a fortnight.
Ashish Mishra was jailed amid a nationwide uproar after a video surfaced showing protesting farmers being run over allegedly by his convoy in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri. Murthy highlighted the RTI response which said that between October 20 to November 14, relatives like Ashish's brother, sister, father (Ajay Mishra), brother-in-law and nephew had visited him in jail. In fact, records show that a day after brothers Abnimanyu Mishra, Abubhav Kumar and Arun Kumar Mishra were allowed to meet Ashish in jail on October 29, jail authorities allowed Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra to meet his jailed son. That's a gap of barely 24 hours.
Highlighting chapter 8 of the jail manual of India, the activist said that for a jailed person, reasonable facilities like seeing or communicating with family members, relatives, friends and advocates preparing for bail to property-related issues are allowed to meet once in a fortnight, which seems to have been clearly violated in the case of Union Minister's son Ashish.
Image: Screenshot of the RTI response
Murthy had sought the information under section 6(1) of RTI Act 2005 and written to the Public Information Officer, Lakhimpur Kheri District. Murthy sought the details of the number of visitors who visited the jail to meet Ashish in jail from the time of his admission till the disposal of his application. The details of visiting persons like their address, designation and relationship with the jailed person, and the timing of their visits were also sought. The information was sent to the RTI activist by jail authorities on November 17 and it reached him a few days ago.
Protesting farmers and different organizations also demanded the sacking of Ajay Kumar Mishra from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet and compensation for the families of the farmers who were run over allegedly by Ashish's convoy of vehicles. Four farmers and a journalist were killed in the incident. He was arrested on October 9.Â
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