‘PIL, not suo motu matter’: SC asks UP govt to file detailed status report on Lakhimpur Kheri incident

The Supreme Court conducted a hearing regarding the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file a status report on who are the accused, against whom FIR is registered, and those arrested in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli were hearing the matter.

Earlier the Supreme Court had clarified that Court's Registry was asked to register a PIL due to miscommunication it was registered as a suo motu matter.

Chief Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana said, "Two advocates wrote a letter to the court on Tuesday, we directed our Registry to register the letter as PIL but due to miscommunication, they registered it as a suo motu matter."

A total of eight people including four farmers died in the violence that took place in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3. The protesting farmers alleged that a car ran over several protestors and an unidentified man opened fire on the protestors.

Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government had decided to compensate the families of the victims with Rs 45 lakh ex-gratia and government jobs for the kin. The government had further announced that Rs 10 lakh will be given to those who were injured in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.