Jul 09, 2024 11:57 AM IST
The petition calls for the appointment of a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the stampede incident
The Supreme Court is expected to hear on July 12 a public interest litigation (PIL), demanding appointment of an expert committee under the supervision of a retired apex court judge to investigate the Hathras stampede incident that claimed 121 lives on July 2.
Advocate Vishal Tiwari, who mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, was informed that the CJI had already directed for listing the case.
The petition calls for the appointment of a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the stampede incident.
The unfortunate event occurred during a prayer meeting held by a self-styled godman, Narayan Saakar Hari, in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. The gathering drew a large crowd, leading to the tragic incident.
“Several questions brew up from this horrific incident of stampede thereby questioning the duty and lapse of State Government and Municipal Corporations. Apart from the failure of maintaining and administering the supervision, the authorities have also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event,” the petition submitted.
Also Read:Hathras tragedy: 3-member judicial inquiry panel begins probe at ‘satsang’ site
The petition urges the court to direct the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report and initiate legal action against those who had acted negligently regarding safety and crowd control measures. It also calls for states to issue guidelines to prevent stampedes and ensure public safety during large gatherings, and to submit reports on the medical facilities available to handle such incidents.
The petition references past incidents that have claimed lives, such as the Kumbh Mela stampede of 1954 which resulted in 800 deaths, the 2007 Mecca Masjid stampede with 16 reported deaths, the 2022 Mata Vaishno Devi shrine stampede, the 2014 Dussehra celebrations stampede at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, and the deaths of around 104 Sabarimala devotees at Pulmedu in Idukki.
A first information report (FIR) was lodged on July 3 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant), and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence).
Narayan Saakar Hari was not named in the FIR, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
In a video statement to news agency ANI on Saturday, Hari claimed he was depressed over the stampede incident and urged the affected families to have faith in the judiciary.
This statement came hours after Dev Prakash Madhukar, a close aide of Hari and the main accused in the stampede, surrendered to the police in New Delhi. Madhukar, the ‘mukhya sevadar’ of the satsang where the stampede occurred, is currently in the custody of Uttar Pradesh Police.
