Hathras Case: Supreme Court directs Allahabad High Court to monitor CBI probe

The spot where the woman, who was allegedly gang-raped by four men, was cremated on the outskirts of Bool Garhi village in Hathras in Uttar Pradesh. (Photo by Prakash SINGH / AFP)


The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Allahabad High Court to monitor the CBI investigation into the alleged gang-rape and murder of the 19-year-old Dalit girl in Uttar Pradesh by four upper-caste men.

The Supreme Court was hearing petitions regarding a court-monitored probe into the case.

The apex court said that the request to transfer the trail out of Uttar Pradesh ‘has been left open’ until the investigation is completed.

The top court said that CBI will file the status report in the case before the high court. The court was hearing a batch of pleas which claimed that a fair trial was not possible in Uttar Pradesh as the probe had allegedly been botched up.

This order comes after the court on October 15 had reserved its verdict on the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activists and lawyers claiming that the investigation was being botched up by the UP government.

The bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde including Justice A S Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian has asked the Allahabad High Court to delete the victim’s name from one on the PIL which is pending with the court.

A 19-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh on September 14. She had succumbed to her injuries in Safdarjung hospital in Delhi on September 30.

The ‘dead of the night’ cremation of the victim allegedly without the family’s approval and the handling of the case by UP police had lead to protests across the country.

The bench had earlier directed the UP administration to file an affidavit on witness protection for the victim’s family and lawyer chosen by the family for representation.