The Supreme Court has ordered Ashish Mishra to submit an affidavit about claims of him threatening witnesses in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

The Supreme Court today ordered Ashish Mishra, son of former Union minister Ajay Mishra, to address claims that witnesses were threatened in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, which resulted in eight deaths. Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan instructed Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Mishra, to submit an affidavit to clarify his position after he denied the accusations. A lawyer for one of the complainants informed the court that he had filed a petition stating that Mishra threatened witnesses. Dave rejected these claims, calling it an “endless process.” He added, “It’s not me in the photographs. This is not for this court, this is for outside.”

The Supreme Court then required Mishra to submit an affidavit denying the allegations within four weeks. On July 22, the court had granted bail to Ashish Mishra, limiting his movement to Delhi or Lucknow. Earlier, on January 25 of the previous year, the court had provided him with interim bail in connection to the “unfortunate ghastly incident.” The court also granted bail to four farmers—Guruwinder Singh, Kamaljeet Singh, Gurupreet Singh, and Vichitra Singh—and instructed the trial court to speed up the hearings. On October 3, 2021, eight individuals, including four farmers, were killed in Tikunia, Uttar Pradesh, during protests against Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit to the region.

Four farmers were struck by a sports utility vehicle. In response, a driver and two BJP workers were reportedly attacked by furious farmers. A journalist also lost their life in the chaos. In February, the Apex Court extended Ashish Mishra’s interim bail and instructed its registry to get a report from the trial court about the case’s progress. On January 25 of the previous year, the Supreme Court ruled that Ashish Mishra should not remain in Uttar Pradesh or Delhi during his interim bail to prevent any influence on witnesses. Later, on September 26, the Apex Court eased his bail conditions, allowing him to visit and stay in the National Capital Territory to care for his sick mother and for his daughter’s treatment. On December 6 of last year, the trial court charged Ashish Mishra and 12 others with murder, criminal conspiracy, and other offenses related to the farmers’ deaths, setting the stage for the trial to begin.