On Monday, the Supreme Court seeks a report from the Uttar Pradesh Police regarding allegations that Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, was attempting to influence witnesses in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh instructed the Superintendent of Police for Lakhimpur Kheri to submit the report to the Court following a fact-finding investigation.

Mishra, however, denied the allegations in an affidavit, asserting that such claims were made each time the case was brought before the court, seemingly aimed at revoking the bail granted to him by the top court.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the complainants, claimed to have an audio recording that allegedly captured an attempt to sway key witnesses in the case. Bhushan also accused Mishra of attending a public meeting, in violation of his bail conditions.

In his request to cancel Mishra's bail, Bhushan urged the court to verify the authenticity of the material presented.

Countering this, senior advocate Siddharth Dave, defending Mishra, argued that his client was being unfairly targeted. Dave further asserted that Mishra was present at the Lok Sabha Secretariat in Delhi on the day the public meeting took place.

The bench instructed both Bhushan and Dave to submit their materials to Ruchira Goel, the standing counsel for the Uttar Pradesh government, who would then forward them to the Lakhimpur Kheri SP.

The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing of the case for four weeks from now.

Mishra was granted bail by the Court on July 22 last year, with conditions restricting his movement to Delhi and Lucknow.

The violence in Lakhimpur Kheri occurred on October 3, 2021, when eight individuals, including four farmers, lost their lives during a farmers' protest against Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit to the area.

The incident saw a sports utility vehicle mow down four farmers. Following this, a driver and two BJP workers were allegedly lynched by enraged farmers. A journalist also died in the ensuing chaos.