The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the bail granted to Ashish Mishra, the prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri farmers killing case and the son of Union minister Ajay Mishra.
Ashish Mishra was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court on 10 February.
A vehicle belonging to Mishra had run over farmers on 3 October last year during a protest in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district against the now-repealed three farm laws.
At Monday’s hearing, a bench led by Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli asked the Union minister’s son to surrender before the authorities within a week.
Mishra had been arrested on 9 October and he walked out of jail on 15 February.
Four farmers, a journalist and two BJP workers killed in the incident.
Families of farmers killed had challenged the bail order in the Supreme Court.
The top court said that the Allahabad High Court had granted bail to Mishra by taking into account irrelevant considerations.
Families of farmers killed in the violence were also not heard by the High Court before passing the order, the judges said.
“The denial of victims to be heard and the tearing hurry shown by the High Court merits the setting aside of bail order. Thus, we remand the matter back to High Court for fresh consideration of the bail application of [the] accused [person],” the three-judge bench said.
