The Crossbill News Desk
A vacation bench of the Allahabad High Court has come down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh government for what it described as “apathy towards the plight of the citizen” in the aftermath of the deadly stampede during the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj earlier this year.
The court directed the state government to reveal the total number of deaths that occurred during the Mahakumbh, particularly during the shahi snan (holy dip) on Mauni Amavasya, January 29, when chaos during the religious gathering reportedly led to multiple casualties.
In a strongly worded order, Justices Saumitra Dayal Singh and Sandeep Jain criticized the state for its delays in disbursing ex-gratia compensation to the families of the deceased, calling the government's stance “untenable” and reflective of “apathy,” Live Law reported.
“Prima facie, we find the stand taken to be untenable and smacking of apathy to the plight of the citizen, inasmuch as the occurrence may have been caused for reasons beyond the control of the State, at the same time having realised the consequence of that occurrence and having announced a scheme for payment of ex-gratia compensation, it was the bounden duty of the State to pay up the compensation to the aggrieved families with utmost grace and dignity,” the court said.
While the Adityanath-led government has maintained that 30 people died on January 29, multiple reports have cast doubt on this figure, suggesting the actual death toll may be higher.
The court also raised serious questions over the handling of victims’ bodies. In one case, it noted that a deceased woman’s body was handed over to her family without a post-mortem, and without any clear documentation about how or from where the body was recovered.
“If a person was admitted to any hospital, documentation offered by the government agencies should reflect the same and should have been communicated to the petitioner. If any patient was brought dead to a hospital, that statement should have also been recorded and made known to the concerned,” the court stated.
“In any case, it should have been made known to the petitioner, from which hospital and in what circumstance, the dead body of his wife came to be deposited in the mortuary from where it was handed over to the petitioner’s son. If that body had been found lying unclaimed at any place, appropriate police action ought to have proceeded or followed that discovery of the dead body. No fact disclosure in that regard, exists.”
In a move to ensure accountability, the court added medical institutions and local authorities in Prayagraj as parties to the ongoing case. It directed them to file detailed affidavits disclosing all deaths and related medical actions taken between January 28 and the end of the Mela.
The order underscores the judiciary’s growing concern over the lack of transparency and due process in the handling of mass casualty events at large public gatherings in India.
The court directed the state government to reveal the total number of deaths that occurred during the Mahakumbh, particularly during the shahi snan (holy dip) on Mauni Amavasya, January 29, when chaos during the religious gathering reportedly led to multiple casualties.
In a strongly worded order, Justices Saumitra Dayal Singh and Sandeep Jain criticized the state for its delays in disbursing ex-gratia compensation to the families of the deceased, calling the government's stance “untenable” and reflective of “apathy,” Live Law reported.
“Prima facie, we find the stand taken to be untenable and smacking of apathy to the plight of the citizen, inasmuch as the occurrence may have been caused for reasons beyond the control of the State, at the same time having realised the consequence of that occurrence and having announced a scheme for payment of ex-gratia compensation, it was the bounden duty of the State to pay up the compensation to the aggrieved families with utmost grace and dignity,” the court said.
While the Adityanath-led government has maintained that 30 people died on January 29, multiple reports have cast doubt on this figure, suggesting the actual death toll may be higher.
The court also raised serious questions over the handling of victims’ bodies. In one case, it noted that a deceased woman’s body was handed over to her family without a post-mortem, and without any clear documentation about how or from where the body was recovered.
“If a person was admitted to any hospital, documentation offered by the government agencies should reflect the same and should have been communicated to the petitioner. If any patient was brought dead to a hospital, that statement should have also been recorded and made known to the concerned,” the court stated.
“In any case, it should have been made known to the petitioner, from which hospital and in what circumstance, the dead body of his wife came to be deposited in the mortuary from where it was handed over to the petitioner’s son. If that body had been found lying unclaimed at any place, appropriate police action ought to have proceeded or followed that discovery of the dead body. No fact disclosure in that regard, exists.”
In a move to ensure accountability, the court added medical institutions and local authorities in Prayagraj as parties to the ongoing case. It directed them to file detailed affidavits disclosing all deaths and related medical actions taken between January 28 and the end of the Mela.
The order underscores the judiciary’s growing concern over the lack of transparency and due process in the handling of mass casualty events at large public gatherings in India.
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