‘Harassment of Hathras girl’s family no less than mental rape’: Akhilesh slams govt for challenging HC order

While dismissing the petition of the UP government, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha and Justice JB Pardiwala had expressed surprise over the fact that the state government had filed an appeal against the high court order.

Additional Advocate General, representing the UP government, told the Supreme Court that it is ready to relocate the victims’ family members but they want to be shifted to either Noida or Ghaziabad or Delhi. The state government said it was a question of law whether the elder, married brother could be regarded as a “dependent”.

But the Supreme Court bench had said it is not inclined to interfere with the high court order, considering the “special facts and circumstances” ofthe case.

In its order, the high court had observed that the majority of the population in the village belonged to the upper castes and it was said that the family, which belonged to a Scheduled Caste, was always targeted by other villagers.

The 19-year-old woman, who was allegedly raped by four men from her village in Hathras, in September 2020 died at a Delhi hospital. On March 2 this year, a special court in Hathras convicted the main accused, Sandeep (20), of culpable homicide not amounting to murder – a lesser charge than murder.

‘The rape and murder charges could not be proved against the prime accused, his lawyer Munna Singh Pundir said. The court also acquitted three others – Ravi (35), Luv Kush (23) and Ramu (26) – triggering an outrage.