The Allahabad High Court on Thursday refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation seeking a judicial inquiry in the Hathras case under Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Piyush Agarwal said that it shall not be appropriate to ‘multiply litigation’ by entertaining the present Petitioner since the case is already pending before a Division Bench at Lucknow which took suo motu cognisance of midnight cremation of the victim’s body.
The petitioner, one Babita Upadhayay, had filed a PIL before the High Court seeking directions to the authorities not to restrain the media or the public at large to meet the family members of the victim and provide free access to the public.
“Suffice it to state that for the same issue, cognisance has already been taken by Division Bench of this Court at Lucknow in Public Interest Litigation (Civil) No. 16150 of 2020. The petitioner, if wants to press any additional issue, may move an appropriate application in that writ. We are not inclined to multiply the litigation in relation to the issue which is already under consideration,” the order reads.
Petitioner had also sought a general 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 any discrimination.
The petition was disposed of with liberty to move an appropriate application before the Division Bench at Lucknow.