The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday summoned top government and police officers of Uttar Pradesh to assess their handling of the Hathras gang-rape case. In an 11-page order that relied on reportage of the 19-year-old’s cremation past midnight, the high court said it is taking suo moto cognisance of the case since the alleged incidents which took place after the death of the victim on 29 September leading up to her creation “have shocked our conscience”.
Justices Jaspreet Singh and Rajan Roy also summoned the family members of the Dalit woman who was allegedly gang-raped on the night of September 14 and succumbed to the injuries later, on September 29 in Delhi. The judges ordered the state to ensure that “no coercion, influence or pressure is exerted upon the family members of the deceased in any manner, by anyone”.
The court has asked the state government to respond by October 12 when it will hear the officials and the woman’s family.
The judges referred to several media reports that echoed the family’s allegations that the UP police had hurriedly completed the cremation of the young woman, allegedly without the consent of her family to underline that a dead person must be respected by the state.
November 23, 2024
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