New Delhi, Oct 9 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has granted permission for Ashish Mishra, the main accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident, to return to his hometown in Lakhimpur Kheri for the Diwali festivities. According to the ruling by a panel of Justices Surya Kant and N.K. Singh, the son of former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Mishra Teni, is allowed to interact solely with family members and close relatives, with a mandatory return to Lucknow by October 22.

However, the Bench led by Justice Kant made it clear that no political activists or members of the public are to participate in these celebrations.

The court acknowledged that 23 prosecution witnesses have been examined, nine witnesses have been dismissed, two remain unserved, and the other witnesses have been summoned for the upcoming hearing on October 27.

Additionally, the court reviewed a status report from the Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP), which mentioned that an FIR has been lodged against Ashish Mishra and his father for allegedly intimidating a witness.

The Bench instructed that a Deputy Superintendent of Police should oversee the investigation and mandated an update on the ongoing inquiry.

In a previous session, the Supreme Court had recommended that the prosecution streamline the number of formal witnesses to hasten the trial's completion.

The Bench urged the public prosecutor to analyze the witness list to identify any that could potentially be dropped as unnecessary.

In July last year, the Supreme Court upheld the interim bail granted to Ashish Mishra, directing the trial court to expedite any pending proceedings.

In January 2023, the Supreme Court imposed several conditions while granting him interim bail, including that Ashish Mishra must vacate Uttar Pradesh within a week of his release, cannot remain in UP or Delhi/NCR, is required to inform the court of his whereabouts, and any attempts by him or his family to influence witnesses would result in bail cancellation.

The apex court also mandated the surrender of his passport and limited his access to UP strictly for trial purposes. The prosecution, SIT, informants, or any family members of the victims would have the right to inform the Supreme Court of any misuse of the interim bail.

Later, the bail conditions for Ashish Mishra were relaxed, allowing him to remain in Lucknow or Delhi. He was subsequently granted permission to visit his family every Saturday evening, under the stipulation that he must return to Lucknow by Sunday afternoon.

In October 2021, eight individuals lost their lives in the violence that erupted in Tikunia, Lakhimpur Kheri District during farmers' protests against UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit. The FIR filed by the UP Police alleges that four farmers were struck by an SUV in which Ashish Mishra was present.