Read Time: 04 minutes

Synopsis

The Allahabad High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a report indicating the trial progress in Hathras gang rape case.

Apart from that, the bench of  Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Jaspreet Singh has sought a status report from the Trial Court also through the District Judge, Hathras regarding the status of Sessions Trial in the case. 

Court issued the directions while hearing the suo moto case (In re: Right to decent & dignified last rights/cremation) pertaining to the gang rape incident in Hathras in 2020 wherein the gang-rape victim was allegedly cremated forcefully at 2 am by the Uttar Pradesh Police without her family's consent.

In March this year, the CBI had informed the court that its probe into the role of the local police in the case has been concluded and collected evidence had been sent to the Head Office.

The submission of the CBI was made in response to court's earlier query as to whether its probe into the offence was still pending even after filing of the chargesheet and court had then asked the CBI to inform about the stage of such investigation and the time that it will take to complete the same.

On October 1, 2020, the high court took suo moto cognizance of the issue of the alleged forceful cremation of the gang rape victim. Accordingly, a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) was registered under the court’s order on the same date and the litigation is going on since then.

Recently, the high court directed the State Government to consider employment of one of the family members of the deceased victim. Moreover, regarding the relocation of the family, Court directed the State to consider it too and take a decision within 6 months. 

Case Title: In Re Right to decent and dignified last rites/cremation