Hathras case: High court turns down PIL seeking judicial probe

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court on Thursday refused to entertain a PIL seeking a judicial inquiry into the alleged gang rape case in Hathras, saying it did not want to multiply the litigation as another one in this regard was pending before the HC’s Lucknow bench.
A division bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Piyush Agrawal was hearing the PIL filed by one Babita Upadhyay.
The petitioner had also sought directions to the state government and authorities concerned not to restrain the media or the public at large to meet the family members of the victim.
The court while declining to interfere in the present proceedings, said that a division bench at Lucknow had taken suo motu cognizance of the midnight cremation of the victim’s body. “We are not inclined to multiply the litigation in relation to the issue which is already under consideration,” the bench observed.
The petitioner had also sought a direction to the state government to formulate proper guidelines and provide adequate and uniform compensation to all the victims of gang rape and murder without any discrimination. The petition was disposed with liberty to move an appropriate application before the division bench at Lucknow.
The Lucknow bench had taken suo motu cognizance of the incidence in which the police and local administration in Hathras had cremated the body of an alleged gang rape victim without the consent of their family. While taking cognizance of the matter, the HC had stated that it was an “extremely sensitive” matter, touching upon the basic human and fundamental rights of the citizens. Subsequently, the investigation of the case was transferred to the CBI.