On Tuesday, the Supreme Court announced that a hearing date has been set for a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) requesting an investigation into the Hathras stampede, which resulted in 121 deaths.
"I have ordered listing of the plea yesterday itself," Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said when PIL petitioner and advocate Vishal Tiwari mentioned his petition for urgent hearing.
The PIL requested the formation of a five-member expert committee, supervised by a retired Supreme Court judge, to investigate the stampede. "More than 120 people lost their lives in the incident," Tiwari stated, seeking an urgent hearing of the case. While the Chief Justice of India (CJI) did not specify a date, he mentioned that listing orders had already been given. "It will be listed for hearing soon," the CJI assured Tiwari.
In his plea, the lawyer also requested the committee to propose and establish guidelines and safety measures to prevent such incidents at public gatherings. Additionally, he asked the State of Uttar Pradesh to submit a status report on the stampede incident and to initiate legal action against the individuals, authorities, and officials responsible for their negligent conduct.
"The Hathras incident depicted the drastic condition and fate of people due to the lapses, negligence and utter failure of administration purported by the government authorities," the plea said. The primary question which arises from such a situation is who is prima facie liable for the negligence that led to a serious cases of deaths and grievous injuries, it contended.