Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Retd Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain to monitor probe, SC includes 3 IPS officers in SIT
The Supreme Court will hear the case after the chargesheet is filed and a report is received from justice Jain.
FollowThe Supreme Court on Wednesday appointed retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain to monitor and supervise the investigation in the ongoing probe in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case “to ensure transparency, fairness and absolute impartiality”. The court has also appointed three senior police officers (including one lady officer) to take over the Special Investigating Team (SIT). The Supreme Court will hear the case after the chargesheet is filed and a report is received from justice Jain.
The Supreme Court will hear the case after the chargesheet is filed and a report is received from justice Jain. The latest development comes two days after the Uttar Pradesh government submitted that the top court can appoint a retired judge to monitor the SIT probe.
The bench had expressed concerns about the composition of the task force appointed to probe the incident as the SC said the police officers must be high-ranking officials. It had sought names of IPS officers, who are of UP cadre but not the native of the state, for being included in the investigation team.
Notably, the Supreme Court had also expressed unhappiness over the officers appointed by the Uttar Pradesh administration for the SIT formed to probe the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident. On Monday, the Lakhimpur Kheri district and sessions court rejected the bail pleas of Ashish Mishra and two others.
On October 3, the lives of 8 people were claimed, four of them being farmers protesters who were allegedly mowed down by the vehicles in the convoy of Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister and BJP MP Ajay Kumar Mishra. The Union minister's son Ashish Mishra, the prime suspect in the case has been arrested along with 12 others.
