The Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear a plea seeking direction to appoint a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to inquire into the Hathras stampede incident, where more than 100 people were killed on July 2. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra stated that the matter will be listed.
“I have already given my listing orders. It will be listed,” the CJI told lawyer Vishal Tiwari, who mentioned the matter for early hearing.
The plea seeks direction from the committee to suggest and frame guidelines and safety measures to prevent such incidents during large public gatherings. It further requests the State of Uttar Pradesh to submit a status report on the Hathras stampede incident to the apex court and to initiate legal action against persons, authorities, and officials for their negligent conduct.
The petition also asks the top court to direct all state governments to issue guidelines to prevent stampedes or other incidents during religious or other events involving large public gatherings.
More than 100 people, including women and children, were killed in a stampede at a ‘satsang’ organized by self-styled godman Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Saakar Hari, in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. Reports indicate that the event attracted over two lakh devotees, despite permission being granted for only around 80,000 attendees.
In the plea, the advocate cited several previous stampede-like incidents, including the Kumbh Mela stampede in 1954 where around 800 people died, the Mecca Masjid stampede of 2007 resulting in 16 deaths, the deaths at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in 2022, the casualties during Dussehra celebrations at Gandhi Maidan in Patna in 2014, and the deaths of around 104 Sabarimala devotees at Pulmedu in Idukki.
“Such incidents prima facie indicate serious lapses in responsibility, negligence, and a failure of duty of care towards the public by government authorities. Over the past decade, various incidents in our country have resulted in significant public casualties that could have been avoided through proper management and maintenance practices,” the plea stated.
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