Supreme Court Seeks Swift Action On Allegations Against Lakhimpur Trial Judge

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to act expeditiously on allegations against the presiding judge in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana noted submissions by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the victims, that the judge had transferred several criminal cases to himself and acquitted the accused. The court also asked the Uttar Pradesh government to appoint a new public prosecutor to conduct the trial at the earliest.

On September 22, the Supreme Court had taken initial note of Bhushan's allegations regarding the judge's conduct and directed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to look into the matter, take remedial action, and furnish a report in a sealed cover. During Monday's hearing, the court reiterated these directions, stating that the Chief Justice should take appropriate action as per its September 22 order. The Registrar (Vigilance) of the High Court was instructed to forward a report to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover, indicating the action taken by the Chief Justice.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for accused Ashish Mishra, countered that Bhushan had raised problems with everyone associated with the case, including the trial judge, public prosecutor, and the accused. He noted that the trial judge had examined 86 of more than 130 witnesses in the main case. The Supreme Court did not make observations on the allegations or counter-claims presented.