Lakhimpur violence: SC to finalise ex-judge to monitor SIT probe, order on Nov 17

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday told the apex court that it can appoint a former High court judge from a different state to oversee the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case probe. The court said it will pass order on November 17.

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Monday said it will finalise the name of the ex-judge to oversee the Uttar Pradesh SIT's probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and pass an order on November 17.

The apex court was hearing a case in which two lawyers-- Shiv Kumar Tripathi and CS Panda --had written a letter to CJI NV Ramana seeking a high-level judicial inquiry into the violence that erupted in Lakhimpur Kheri district on October 3 in which eight people including four farmers were killed.

A bench of CJI, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli said it needed one more day's time as it's considering former Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge Rakesh Kumar Jain or others and it will have to take the consent of the judge concerned. The bench also asked the state government to include some more senior police officers, who are of the UP cadre but not natives of the state, in the SIT.

Read: Lakhimpur violence: SIT releases photos, seeks public support for identification

This is after senior advocate Harish Salve appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government informed the court that the state has no issues with the court appointing a former High Court judge from a different state to oversee the probe into the case.

On November 8, the court had said that it does not want the one-member judicial commission appointed by the state to continue probe into the case. It proposed appointing a former High Court judge to monitor the state police probe.

Earlier, the state government had suggested the name of Retired Allahabad High Court judge Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava to supervise the SIT probe.