Supreme Court Directs Allahabad HC To Monitor CBI's Probe In Hathras Case

The Supreme Court of Indian directed Allahabad High Court on Tuesday to monitor the CBI investigation in the Hathras case. SC further clarified that the plea to transfer the case out of Uttar Pradesh will be considered after CBI completes its probe.

According to Hindustan Times, the order came on a PIL (Public interest litigation) filed by social activist Satyama Dubey demanding a court-monitored probe into the Hathras gangrape case. 

Hathras case: SC says Allahabad HC will consider all aspects, CBI will file status reports there

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 27, 2020

The bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde said, "So far as the transfer is concerned, it is appropriate for the investigating agency to complete the investigation. As of now, CBI is dealing with it and there is no cause of apprehension."

According to NDTV, the bench which also included Justice A S Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian, also asked the Allahabad HC to delete the girl’s name from one of its orders on a pending PIL.

Also Read: Is It Fair To Compare Hathras To Nirbhaya For Political Vendetta?

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had referred to the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court by the Uttar Pradesh government, that gave details about the security and protection provided to the deceased Dalit woman’s family and witnesses in the case, reported The Economic Times. As per the report, Mehta also said that the UP government does not have any objection to the family's demand for an SC-monitored investigation. 

Also Read: Hathras Case: AMU Doctor Who Said FSL Report ‘Holds No Value’ Asked To Leave

About the case

A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gangraped by four upper-caste men in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh on September 14. She died at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on September 29, two weeks after the incident. Following her death, the woman's family alleged that UP police had "forcibly" cremated her body against their wishes. This led to protests across the country. You can read more about it here.

The state government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had recommended a CBI probe into the Hathras gangrape and murder after it faced intense criticism over its handling of the case.

Also Read: The Survivor Was At least Entitled To A Decent Cremation: Allahabad HC On Hathras Case

The first hearing in the case took place on October 12 before the Lucknow bench of Allahabad HC. During the hearing, the woman's family demanded that reports of CBI investigation be kept confidential. "We had also prayed that the case be transferred out of UP. The third demand is that the family be provided security until the case completely concludes," said the family's lawyer Seema Kushwaha. Next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 2.

Image Credit: NDTV

Sagrika Giri is an intern with SheThePeople.TV.