The Supreme Court on Friday, May 8, 2026, directed the trial judge in Uttar Pradesh to take lawful measures to secure the presence of witnesses in the ongoing trial of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, after expressing disappointment over a two-month lapse in witness examination. A Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that the Uttar Pradesh government's status report offered no explanation for the failure to produce witnesses.

The case involves Ashish Mishra, son of former Union minister Ajay Mishra, and 12 others charged in December 2023 with murder, criminal conspiracy, and other offences related to the deaths of four farmers mowed down by a vehicle during a protest in Tikunia on October 3, 2021. Eight people died in total, including a journalist and three BJP workers allegedly lynched by protesters.

Two separate trials are underway in Uttar Pradesh over the incident. The Supreme Court asked the presiding trial judge to expedite proceedings and file a fresh status report, stressing the need for a time-bound conclusion to the trial.