Women advocates write to top judge on Hathras rape case

In a letter addressed to Chief Justice of India, SA Bobde and his companion Judges of the Collegium, a group of women advocates have sought a High court-monitored investigation into the Hathras gangrape and murder case.

New Delhi:More than forty female advocates have written to the Chief Justice of India, SA Bobde, and collegium judges seeking a High court-monitored investigation into the Hathras gangrape and murder case. They have sought immediate inquiry and suspension/action against all the erring police personnel, administrative, medical officers for manipulating the facts and evidence in the case.

On 14th September a 19-year-old Dalit girl was brutally gang-raped and assaulted in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, after which she had to be admitted in a local hospital and later on shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. On Tuesday night she succumbed to her serious injuries and was cremated in the middle of the night without her family's consent. This has garnered a lot of criticism for the CM Yogi Adityanath led government and an SIT has also been constituted by the UP government.

In the letter, the advocates contend that "the need for midnight cremation and denying the victim's family their right to their religious beliefs, has to be accounted for, especially keeping in mind the circumstances and behaviour of the police force." It adds on saying that more could have been done to assist the victim and her family and their fundamental and human rights should have been upheld.

They have also sought "setting up of adequate institutional mechanisms and guidelines so no other victim or their family need to feel lost regarding our law and order, and suffer the same fate".

On Wednesday a PIL was also seeking a CBI inquiry into the matter. Tehseen Poonawala and Delhi Commission for women had also written a letter yesterday seeking an enquiry into the matter.