The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a petition filed by the Uttar Pradesh government against the Allahabad High Court’s order to consider giving a job to a family member of the Hathras victim and to relocate the family from Hathras. The High Court had issued the order to provide facilities to the victim’s family. The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala expressed surprise at the Uttar Pradesh government coming in an appeal against the High Court’s order. The Chief Justice told the State government’s counsel that these facilities are provided to the family and the state should not interfere in such matters.
The State government’s counsel argued that the question of whether the elder married brother could be regarded as a dependent of the victim was a question of law to be considered. The counsel also informed the top court that the State government is ready to relocate the family but the family wants to be shifted to Noida, Ghaziabad, or Delhi. The decision of the Supreme Court reinforces the importance of protecting the rights of victims and their families. It also highlights the need for the government to act in a sensitive and responsible manner towards victims of crimes, particularly in cases of violence against women.
The appeal filed by the Uttar Pradesh government was against the directions passed by the High Court on July 26, 2022, in which the court had taken note of the socio-economic backwardness of the family and the rights granted by the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The High Court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to consider giving employment to one of the family members of the victim, taking into account their circumstances.
