Hathras gangrape: Plea in SC demands CBI probe, seeks transfer of trial from UP to Delhi

Amid the growing uproar over the Hathras gangrape, a criminal writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking a fair investigation into the case. In the petition, social activist Satyama Dubey along with advocates Vishal Thakre and Rudra Pratap Yadav have demanded a CBI probe or an SIT investigation headed by a retired/sitting SC/High Court judge. Additionally, they sought the transfer of the trial from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi. 

The petitioners have argued that the system failed to act despite the victim suffering grave injustice. They have accused the police of not performing their duties and shielding the accused persons. The petition stressed that the horrific crime and the alleged police inaction constituted a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to UP CM Yogi Adityanath asking for strict action to be taken against the guilty. 

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The Hathras gangrape

A 19-year-old woman in a village in UP's Hathras district was brutally gang-raped by 4 men when she was collecting fodder for her cattle on September 14. The victim, who was initially admitted to a local hospital in Hathras was shifted for further treatment to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital. She succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday, September 29. 4 persons have been arrested by the police in this case.

Amid huge protests outside the hospital demanding justice for the deceased woman, her body was brought to the village by the police at around 1 am on Wednesday. In an official statement, the Hathras Police refuted the notion that the body was forcefully cremated in the dead of the night without conducting the final rites. However, the victim's family claimed that its request for the body to be taken to the house and carrying out the cremation after sunrise was turned down by the police.

Meanwhile, the UP CM spoke to the family of the Hathras gangrape victim via videoconferencing. Her kin will be given Rs.25 lakh as ex-gratia and a house. Also, one family member will get a government job. A three-member SIT has been formed to probe the case, which will be heard in a fast-track court.

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Read: Hathras Gangrape: DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal Writes To SC; Demands Swift Justice