New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday appointed Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to monitor the investigation into Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli issued the order.
"Justice Jain commission will ensure impartiality and independence of the investigation. The investigation will be led by SIT under Justice Jain and the matter will be listed after the charge sheet is filed," the bench stated in its order.
The court has also reconstituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) by appointing police officers, Shirodkar, Deepender Singh and Padmaja Chauhan. Chauhan is the current Inspector General of Uttar Pradesh Police.
The court in the earlier hearings of the case had expressed its disappointment over the way in which the investigation was going. It also suggested higher-ranking police officers from Uttar Pradesh cadre let alone belonging to Uttar Pradesh to investigate the matter.
The court had sought the opinion of Uttar Pradesh government regarding the appointment of the retired judge, to which the state government had agreed. The matter pertains to the killing of eight people, including 4 farmers, by a car convoy of Union Minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra. It happened during a protest when the car rammed into protesting farmers and, thereafter, BJP workers were pulled out of the car and lynched.
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