Hathras Case: Allahabad HC Expresses Concern Over Inaction By UP Govt Against DM Pravin Kumar

The High Court also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case to file the status report in the matter by November 25, the next hearing date. The state government assured the court of deciding on Kumar by the next hearing, reported NDTV.

The Division Bench hearing the case included Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Ranjan Roy.

On September 14, four upper-caste men in Hathras allegedly gang-raped and assaulted the 19-year-old Dalit girl. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries on September 29 at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital.

DM Pravin Kumar's name cropped up after the police cremated the woman in the middle of the night near her home the following day. The family members were not even allowed to bring the body home one last time.

Additional Director General Prashant Kumar, state Home Secretary Tarun Gaba and suspended Hathras SP Vikrant Vir Singh appeared before the in-camera proceedings of the court.

The court's order came the same day the state government filed an affidavit regarding the standard operating procedure (SOP) to be adopted while dealing with cases like Hathras, including the funeral and burial of the deceased. Uttar Pradesh additional advocate general Vinod Kumar Shahi did not give the details of the SOPs.

The state government also informed the court that they had deployed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at the victim's house as per the directions of the Supreme Court, along with a compensation of ₹25 lakh in the account of the deceased's father.

Advocate Seema Kushwaha, who appeared on behalf of the victim's family and requested the court for a permanent house for the family in Delhi and a job for one family member.