In Brief
On 3 October 2021, Ashish Mishra (respondent) allegedly drove vehicles into a crowd of protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, killing four farmers and others. The High Court granted him bail, reasoning that no firearm injuries were found despite FIR allegations. The Supreme Court set aside the bail, holding that the High Court overlooked relevant considerations and denied victims their statutory right to be heard. The Court emphasized that victims have substantive, independent participatory rights at every stage, including bail hearings. The matter was remitted to the High Court for fresh consideration applying proper bail principles with victims afforded fair hearing and legal aid counsel at State expense.
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