The Supreme Court on Monday granted two weeks to the Uttar Pradesh government to file its response on a bail petition filed by Ashish Mishra, the son of Union minister Ajay Mishra, in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, reported Live Law.

Ashish Mishra has moved the Supreme Court challenging an order passed by the Allahabad High Court on July 26 that dismissed his bail application. The High Court had said that there was a possibility that he could influence witnesses if he were to be released.

At the last hearing in Supreme Court on September 6, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing on behalf of Ashish Mishra, had contended that the first informant in the case was not an eyewitness.

A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and MM Sundresh had then directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file its response in the case by September 26.

However, on Monday, Rohatgi said that no response has been filed by the Uttar Pradesh government yet.

Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for the families of those killed in the violence, told the bench that there are indications which show that the crime was “premeditated”, according to Live Law.

The bench, however, said that it will take up the matter after a response is filed by the government of Uttar Pradesh.

The case

Eight persons, including four farmers, were killed on October 3 after violence broke in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh during a protest against the Centre’s agricultural laws that have now been repealed. Farmer bodies had alleged that a vehicle belonging to Ashish Mishra had run over a group of demonstrators.

Mishra was first arrested in the case on October 9. He walked out of jail on February 15 after the Allahabad High Court granted him bail on February 10.

However, families of those killed in the violence challenged the bail order in the Supreme Court, which overturned the High Court verdict and cancelled Mishra’s bail on April 18. He is currently lodged in Lakhimpur prison.