New Delhi, November 15
The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday agreed to the Supreme Court suggestion that a former judge of its choice may be appointed to supervise the state SIT’s probe on day-to-day basis into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed on October 3.
A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana also raised the issue of low-rank police officers being engaged in the SIT probe and sought names of the IPS officers who are of the UP cadre but not natives of the state, for being included in the investigation team.
The bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, said it would have to take the consent of the judge concerned and would consider names of even former apex court and high court judges for monitoring the probe in the sensational case and pronounce the same on Wednesday.
While consenting, senior advocate Harish Salve said the state had no issues with the apex court appointing a former judge of its choice to monitor the probe.
The apex court, on November 8, had expressed dissatisfaction over the probe and suggested that to infuse “independence, impartiality and fairness” in the ongoing investigation, a former judge of a “different high court” should monitor it on a day-to-day basis.
