# Supreme Court allows Ashish Mishra to visit Lakhimpur Kheri for Deepavali 2026-10-26T07:57:23+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Supreme Court on Monday, 26 October 2026, allowed Ashish Mishra, an accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri killings case, permission to travel to Lakhimpur Kheri to celebrate Deepavali with his family. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant directed him to return by 16 October, subject to earlier bail conditions. The court was informed that the trial judge in the case had been transferred by the Allahabad High Court, and a new special public prosecutor appointed. The state told the bench that 90 of 131 witnesses have been examined. Victims’ advocate Prashant Bhushan told The Hindu the transfer may be only preliminary, while the Economic Times quoted him as being satisfied with developments. The case dates from 3 October 2021, when eight people including four farmers were killed during a protest in Tikunia. The Supreme Court remarked that the trial must conclude in time, with the bench adding that there should be no tearing hurry but also no prolonged delay. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both The Hindu and Economic Times report the same event, Ashish Mishra being allowed to visit Lakhimpur Kheri for Deepavali, in a neutral-report style. The Hindu adds the victims’ advocate Prashant Bhushan’s contention that the trial judge’s transfer may only be a preliminary step, while the Economic Times includes Bhushan expressing satisfaction with developments. The Hindu also highlights Bhushan’s earlier allegations of the judge transferring cases to himself and acquitting accused, which the Economic Times notes were referred to the High Court chief justice. Both outlets record 90 of 131 witnesses examined and a new special public prosecutor appointed. The next concrete step is Mishra’s return to Lakhimpur Kheri by 16 October. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - thehindu.com (neutral report) Neutral reporting, includes victims' lawyer's cautious view - economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Neutral reporting, includes victims' lawyer's satisfaction This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Ashish Mishra, CJI Surya Kant, Lakhimpur Kheri case, Prashant Bhushan, Supreme Court of India Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-allows-ashish-mishra-to-visit-lakhimpur-kheri-for-deepavali/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-allows-ashish-mishra-to-visit-lakhimpur-kheri-for-deepavali/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/