The CBI has started investigation into the Hathras case.
The Hathras case should be handled entirely by the Allahabad High Court, the Supreme Court said today in response to appeals that it monitor the CBI probe into the issue which has evoked nationwide outrage. Chief Justice SA Bobde said it was not in favour of hearing any more petitions on this. The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has already taken up the matter suo motu, calling it an issue of "immense public importance". The order has been reserved in the case.
Appearing before the court today, the family of the 20-year-old woman who died last month after brutal torture and alleged gang rape, said the CBI should file its status reports before the Supreme Court and not the state government.
In the backdrop of the police handling of the case, including the 2 am cremation of the woman's body during which they were kept locked up, the family also sought that the hearing of the case be transferred to Delhi.
The Uttar Pradesh government agreed that the status reports of the case should be filed directly in the Supreme Court and not through any officer of the state government. The state also said the Allahabad High Court had named family members of the woman, which is not allowed under the Indian Penal Code.
"We can delete suo motu," the Chief Justice said.
"We don't need the assistance of the whole world. We have already heard enough. We heard the state, the accused and the victim," CJI Bobde said. "Let the High Court deal with this and we are here as ultimate supervisory body," the judge added.
The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has condemned the administration and the police move to secretly cremate the woman's body, keeping her family locked up and not allowing them to conduct the last rites. The police had said they had pushed ahead with it in view of the law and order situation.
Calling the last rites an important ritual, the court said it should not have been "compromised taking shelter of law and order situation" and the police move was "prima facie an infringement upon the human rights of the victim and her family".