Lakhimpur violence: SC reconstitutes SIT, asks to complete probe expeditiously

The apex court on Wednesday said it has added three IPS officers to the SIT who are not from Uttar Pradesh, though they are allocated to UP cadre.

This was done after questions were raised about the members of the SIT team, who are from the local police.

A three-Judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana and also comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Surya Kant, passed the order for reconstitution of SIT, which will comprise of three senior IPS officers, namely SB Shirodkar, Deepinder Singh and Padmaja Chauhan.

The top court of the country had heard the arguments from the petitioner, respondent and from the Uttar Pradesh government in the case.

The court said it will hear the case next after the charge sheet is filed and a report is received from the retired judge.

The apex court also in its order appointed Rakesh Kumar Jain, former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to monitor and supervise the investigation to ensure transparency, fairness, and absolute impartiality in the case.

The Supreme Court had earlier suggested former Punjab and Haryana High Court Judges - Justices Ranjit Singh/ Rakesh K Jain) to supervise the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged Oct 3 Lakhimpur Kheri incidents mowing down of 4 farmers, lynching of 3 accused and murder of a journalist.

The court was hearing the petitions seeking a CBI probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence wherein eight people had lost their lives, including farmers, who were allegedly mowed down by a four-wheeler belonging to Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on Oct 3.

The apex court registered the petition on its own, on the basis of letters written by two lawyers, seeking investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the brutal incident.