Supreme Court orders swift action on judge misconduct in Lakhimpur Kheri case

On Monday, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, ordered the Allahabad High Court chief justice to act swiftly on accusations that the judge overseeing the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence trial had shifted multiple criminal cases to his own docket and cleared the accused. The court also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to appoint a new public prosecutor promptly to ensure the trial proceeds.

Victims' counsel Prashant Bhushan highlighted the judge’s alleged misconduct, while senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing accused Ashish Mishra, disputed the claims. The bench noted that an administrative committee should review the allegations and that a sealed report from the High Court registrar will be sent to the Supreme Court. A further hearing was set for two weeks later. The underlying case concerns the October 2021 farmer protest in Tikunia that resulted in eight fatalities, including four farmers.