The petitioner also sought speedy trial of the case. (File)
New Delhi:
A plea was moved in the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking directions for handing over to the CBI or a Special Investigation Team the case of brutal gang-rape and death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh.
The Dalit teen was sexually assaulted allegedly by four men on September 14 and referred on Monday to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi with spinal injuries, paralysis and cuts in her tongue. She died around 3 am on Tuesday.
She was admitted to Aligarh Muslim University’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital before being shifted to Safdarjung Hospital.
The accused, who had allegedly tried to strangle her to death as she resisted their rape attempt, have been arrested.
The plea filed by a social activist Satyama Dubey sought transfer of the probe to the CBI or SIT under the sitting or retired judge of the top court or the high court.
It sought transfer of the case from UP to Delhi for trial, alleging that the state authorities had failed to take any action against accused persons who first raped an innocent woman belonging to Schedule caste community and thereafter brutally assaulted her.
The plea said that as per the media/medical report the victim’s tongue was chopped and her neck-bone and back bone were also broken by the accused persons.
“That petitioner no.1 is a Social Activist and also a female being aggrieved against injustice done to females and no action has been taken by the concerned authorities even in this present scenario the dead body of the dead had been buried by the Police personals which is a grave injustice against family persons of the dead..,” the plea said.
The petition claimed that the police had said that the cremation was being carried out “as per the wishes of the family” which is not true as the police personnel have themselves buried the dead body of the dead and even media personnel were barred from reporting it.
“The Petitioner herein is demanding justice for the victim for the brutal attack, rape and murder of the victim,” the plea said.
The petitioner also sought speedy trial of the case.
On Tuesday, protests had erupted at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi as the father and the cousin of the victim sat on a dharna before the woman’s body was taken to Uttar Pradesh amid heavy police deployment at late evening.
The incident has prompted outrage, protests and calls for justice from various sections of the society.
