The Supreme Court will hear the matter related to the October 3 violence in Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday. Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in that incident. A bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli will hear the matter in which the court on October 26 directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide protection to witnesses in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
The court had also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to record the statements of other witnesses in the case under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and asked the digital evidence to be examined by experts at the earliest. The Supreme Court had directed the state government to file a status report in the case of alleged lynching of a journalist and a man named Shyam Sundar by a mob.
Two advocates had written to the Chief Justice demanding a high-level inquiry into the Lakhimpur Kheri case. It is in this background that the court is hearing the matter. On October 26, the counsel appearing for the state government had told the bench, “Of the 68 witnesses, the statements of 30 have been recorded under section 164 of CrPC and the statements of some others will also be recorded.” Out of these 30 witnesses, 23 have claimed to be eyewitnesses.
