Police personnel cremate the body of a 19-year-old Dalit woman who was brutally gang-raped two weeks ago, in the wee hours, in Hathras district, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. (PTI File Photo)
Lucknow: Expressing strong displeasure over the Uttar Pradesh government's non-compliance of its earlier directions, the Allahabad High Court has directed it to rehabilitate and relocate the family of the Hathras gang-rape victim in Ghaziabad or Noida within three months.
A bench of justices Rajan Roy and Jaspreet Singh on Monday further directed that once the rehabilitation is completed, employment should also be provided to one family member, as directed in its July 26, 2022 order.
The court also directed the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to file a compliance affidavit and in case of non-compliance, he will have to appear personally before it on November 30.
The bench observed that the high court had earlier directed the state government to consider relocating the victim's family to Ghaziabad or Noida, but the government failed to give due consideration to the request.
Instead, in its decision, the state had offered the family the option of choosing one among Kasganj, Etah and Aligarh for rehabilitation.
The court then quashed the state government's decision of February 22, 2025 and directed it to rehabilitate and relocate the victim's family in Ghaziabad or Noida within three months.
The court held that this did not amount to compliance with its earlier orders.
The 19-year-old woman was allegedly raped by four men from her village in September 2020 and died at a Delhi hospital a fortnight later.
In its order, the bench said that the February 22, 2025 decision of the state government did not even mention the family's request for rehabilitation in Ghaziabad or Noida.
Therefore, it could not be treated as a decision taken in compliance with the high court's directions.
The court observed that there appeared to be unnecessary resistance on the part of the state and that its approach lent credence to the family's contention that the government was treating the proceedings as adversarial litigation.
Appearing for the victim's family, advocate Mahmood Pracha submitted that Kasganj, Etah and Aligarh are close to Hathras, raising concerns about the family's safety. The family also has no relatives in these districts.
In contrast, relatives of the family reside in Ghaziabad and Noida, where relocation would enable them to lead a normal life without fear.
Tags: