Not inclined to multiply litigation in Hathras case, says high court

PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court has refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a judicial enquiry into the alleged Hathras gang-rape and murder case as the matter is already sub judice before the Lucknow bench of the high court.

The bench comprising chief justice Govind Mathur and justice Piyush Agrawal was hearing a PIL petition filed by one Babita Upadhyay. The petitioner had further sought directions to the state government and concerned authorities not to restrain the media or the public at large from meeting the family members of the victim.

The 19-year-old woman was assaulted and gang-raped in a Hathras village on September 14. She died at Safdarjung hospital in Delhi on September 29.

The court, while declining to interfere in the present proceedings, said a division bench at Lucknow had taken suo moto cognizance of midnight cremation of the victim’s body and thus it will not be appropriate to “multiply litigation” by entertaining the present petitioner.

“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 discrimination.

The petition was disposed of with liberty to move an appropriate application before the division bench at Lucknow.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court had taken suo moto cognizance of the Hathras gang-rape and murder case on October 1, stating that it was an “extremely sensitive” matter touching upon the basic fundamental rights of citizens.