Timeline of Lakhimpur Kheri case leading to Ashish Mishra's bail

New Delhi: Following is the timeline of events in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case in which the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted eight-week interim bail to Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish Mishra:

* Oct 3, 2021: Eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri during violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against the then Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area

* Oct 5, 2021: PIL filed in SC expressing serious concerns regarding the fairness of the investigation into the incidents

* Oct 20, 2021: SC comes down hard on the Uttar Pradesh government for its ongoing probe into the case, saying the police are required to dispel the impression they are dragging their feet, and ensure recording of statements of witnesses before magistrates and their protection

* Oct 26, 2021: SC directs Uttar Pradesh government to give protection to witnesses and find more eyewitnesses as such testimonies are more credible

* Nov 17, 2021: SC appoints Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to monitor probe by Uttar Pradesh SIT

* Feb 10, 2022: Lucknow Bench of Allahabad HC grants regular bail to Ashish and opined the case was one of "accident by hitting with the vehicle"

* Feb 21, 2022: Plea filed in SC challenging HC's bail

* Mar 4, 2022: SC agrees to hear plea challenging the grant of bail

* Mar 29, 2022: UP govt tells SC that decision to challenge the grant of bail to Ashish Mishra is pending consideration before relevant authorities

* Apr 4, 2022: SC raises questions over high court verdict granting bail to Ashish, saying unnecessary details like postmortem report, nature of wounds should not have gone into when the trial was yet to commence; it reserves order

* Apr 18, 2022: SC cancels bail granted by Allahabad HC to Ashish and asks him to surrender in a week's time. It remanded back the bail application to the HC for fresh adjudication within three months "in a fair, impartial and dispassionate manner, and keeping in view the settled parameters"

* July 26, 2022: Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court rejected Ashish's bail plea

* September 6, 2022: SC sought response from the Uttar Pradesh government on Ashish's plea seeking bail

* January 19, 2023: SC reserved its order on Ashish's plea

* January 25, 2023: SC grants eight-week interim bail to Ashish