Court Order and Compliance Directive

The Allahabad High Court on Monday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to rehabilitate and relocate the family of the Hathras gang-rape victim to Ghaziabad or Noida within three months. A division bench of Justices Rajan Roy and Jaspreet Singh set aside the state government's decision dated February 22, 2025, which had offered the family options in Kasganj, Etah, or Aligarh.

The court ordered that a compliance affidavit be filed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of Uttar Pradesh, and warned that if the order is not complied with, the official must appear personally before the court on the next date. The matter is listed for November 30, 2026.

The case pertains to the alleged murder and gang rape of a 19-year-old woman in Hathras on September 14, 2020. The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter in October 2020.

State's Non-Compliance and Court's Observations

The court observed that the state's February 22, 2025 decision did not consider the family's request for relocation to Ghaziabad or Noida, and therefore did not comply with the high court's earlier directives. The court noted that the state showed "unnecessary resistance" and that its approach lent credence to the family's allegation that the government was treating the matter as adversarial litigation.

Advocate Mahmood Pracha, appearing for the victim's family, submitted that Kasganj, Etah, and Aligarh are close to Hathras, raising safety concerns. He also noted that the family has no relatives in those districts, but has relatives in Ghaziabad and Noida, where they could live without fear.

The court also directed that employment should be provided to one family member once the rehabilitation is completed, as per its July 26, 2022 order.

Background and Legal Proceedings

The high court had earlier directed the state government to consider relocating the family, but the government's subsequent decision did not address the family's preferred locations. The court's latest order comes after the state filed an affidavit on February 24, 2025, attaching its decision dated February 22, 2025.

The bench's directive underscores the court's insistence on compliance with its previous orders, with the court stating it saw "no reason to grant any further time to the State for reconsideration of the matter."