News Analysis India

Tag: Hathras Rape

  • Allahabad HC to hear counsel on quantum of damages to Hathras rape victim’s kin on November 25

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court on Friday fixed November 25 to hear arguments on the question of quantum of compensation to be given to the family of a 19-year-old gangrape-cum-murder victim hailing from a Hathras village.

    Accordingly, a Lucknow bench of the high court asked various counsel, including that of the Uttar Pradesh government, to come prepared on that day with their arguments on the issue.

    A bench of justices Rajan Roy and Jaspreet Singh issued the directions after Assistant Solicitor General S V Raju submitted to the bench copies of some government orders on various schemes for the benefits to the victim’s family under SC/ST Act.

    Following the death of the gangrape victim during her treatment at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi on September 29 and her subsequent cremation by the police – allegedly forcibly – in the dead of night against the wishes of her family members, the court had taken suo moto cognisance of the episode.

    While fixing November 25 to hear the issue of quantum of compensation, the bench said if the hearing is not concluded on that day, it will continue the exercise the next day as well.

  • Fulfill promises made to Hathras rape victim’s family or will go on dharna: Chandrashekhar Azad to UP govt

    By PTI

    ALIGARH: Azad Samaj Party national president Chandrashekhar Azad has threatened to begin an indefinite protest if the Uttar Pradesh government fails to fulfil its promises to the family of a 19-year-old woman from Hathras who was gang-raped and assaulted last year leading to her death.

    Azad, who had visited the family of the woman in Hathras earlier this week, said, “Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s promises made a year back of providing financial support to the family, including job and housing, have become a cruel joke for the family.”

    Azad met Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Gaurav Dayal who, he said, “assured that the promised assistance to the family would be given within one week.”

    ​ALSO READ | Hathras gang rape case: Allahabad HC refuses to stay trial in special court

    “We will begin an indefinite dharna at the Aligarh divisional commissioner’s office after 10 days if these assurances are not fulfilled and justice is not given to the family,” he told reporters here on Friday.

    The woman died at a hospital in Delhi in September last year, days after being assaulted and raped by four men.

    Azad claimed that Aligarh “has become such a difficult place for Dalits that they would be forced to migrate from here.”

    Asked whether his party will form any alliance for the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, he said, “So far no decision has been taken, but we will not spare any effort to ensure the defeat of the BJP.”

  • ‘Inquire if witness, Hathras victim’s lawyer threatened during trial’: HC to district judge, CRPF IG

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench has directed the Hathras district judge and CRPF Inspector General, central sector, to inquire whether the prosecution witness and the lawyers of the Dalit girl who was allegedly raped and died due to injuries were threatened before a special judge during the trial on March 5.

    The court has sought the report within 15 days and said that it would consider transferring the proceedings out of Hathras for ensuring a free and fair trial in the case.

    On Friday, a division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Jaspreet Singh directed the state government and district authorities to make all possible arrangements for security within the court premises and outside it and smooth conduct of the trial.

    The bench also directed the CRPF to continue providing protection to the victim’s family and the witnesses.

    The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14.

    She died on September 29 at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital during treatment.

    The victim was cremated in the dead of the night near her home on September 30.

    Her family alleged they were forced by the local police to hurriedly conduct her last rites.

    Local police officers, however, said the cremation was carried out “as per the wishes of the family”.

    Directing the special judge (SC/ST Act) Hathras to conduct in-camera proceedings of the trial henceforth, the bench warned that if any person tried to disturb the trial or attempted to threaten the life, liberty and property of the victim’s family and the witnesses in any manner, it would take very serious action, including initiating contempt proceedings.

    The bench was hearing an application moved by the victim’s brother who alleged that on March 5 that a mob, which included some lawyers, created a ruckus in the trial court and threatened the lawyer and two witnesses who had come to depose in the court on that date.

    The brother demanded that a report of the incident may be called for from the special judge and meanwhile the trial proceedings be stayed, otherwise there would be a real and grave risk of a miscarriage of justice.

    The bench was also apprised by the victim’s counsel Sharad Bhatnagar that the Supreme Court had on March 12 rejected the plea to transfer the trial of the case outside Uttar Pradesh but added that then the incident of March 5 could not be informed to the apex court.

    Meanwhile, CBI lawyer Anurag Singh informed the bench that the premier agency intended to file an application for transfer of the trial from Hathras within the state.

    The bench fixed April 7 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

  • ED files first chargesheet against PFI; claims it wanted to spread terror after Hathras rape case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has filed its first chargesheet against Popular Front of India and its students’ wing on money laundering charges, claiming its members wanted to “incite communal riots and spread terror” in the aftermath of the last year Hathras gang rape case.

    The central agency has been probing the Popular Front of India (PFI), formed in 2006 in Kerala and headquartered in Delhi, since 2018.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently started investigations into the Islamic organisations’ alleged role in “funding” anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests and the communal riots which took place in Delhi last year.

    The prosecution complaint or chargesheet was filed before a special PMLA court in Lucknow on Wednesday under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    Those named include PFI member and students’ wing Campus Front of India’s (CFI) national general secretary K A Rauf Sherif, CFI national treasurer Atikur Rahman, Delhi CFI general secretary Masud Ahmed, a journalist “associated with PFI” Siddique Kappan, and Mohammed Alam, who is a member of the CFI and the PFI.

    The special court took cognisance of the ED chargesheet and issued summons to the five accused for appearing before it on March 18 and face trial, official sources said on Thursday.

    Rauf was arrested by the ED from an airport in Kerala in December last year while he was “trying to flee the country”.

    The rest four were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police in Mathura last year while they were on their way to Hathras after the alleged gangrape and death of a Dalit woman in that district.

    The ED claimed in a statement issued here that the four were going to “disturb communal harmony, incite violence and spread terror.”

    A fresh PMLA case was filed by the ED against PFI operatives on the basis of a Uttar Pradesh Police FIR.

    The agency said its probe found “that the visit (to Hathras) of these PFI/CFI members was under the instructions of Rauf Sherif and funds for the same were also provided by him.”

    “ED investigation has established that Rauf Sherif entered into a criminal conspiracy with PFI members stationed in Gulf countries to fraudulently transfer money raised/collected abroad by PFI in the guise of payments related to business transactions,” it said.

    “The money was laundered through different layers and eventually reached Rauf Sherif and his associates belonging to PFI and CFI,” the ED said.

    Calling these funds of Rs 1.36 crore as “proceeds of crime, the agency said that it was obtained as a result of criminal activity relating to criminal conspiracy.

    Part of the funds was used by PFI and CFI office bearers, members, activists in India “for their continuous unlawful activities over the time which included, but were not limited to, funding of anti-CAA protests, inciting violence and fomenting trouble which led to Delhi riots in the month of February, 2020, and in respect to the more specific incident investigated in this chargesheet that is the purported visit of PFI/CFI to Hathras with an intent to disturb communal harmony, incite communal riots and spread terror”, the ED said.

    It alleged that Kappan took “active part in the conspiracy (in Hathras) as he had relations with PFI and was involved in use of proceeds of crime and transferred funds into the bank account of Rahman.”

    The car used by these four to travel to Hathras was purchased in cash with “crime money” of Rs 2.25 lakh about 10-15 days prior to their visit, the ED said.

    The agency claimed that a “part of proceeds of crime was projected as untainted money and used for purchase of land and was thus parked to enable future use by PFI/CFI.”

    The ED alleged that funds of “over Rs 100 crore have been deposited in accounts of PFI over the years, and a very large part of the same has been deposited in cash.”

    The source and disbursal of these funds is under investigation, it said.

    “PFI has been continuously indulging in various scheduled offences under the PMLA ever since the Narath (Kannur) arms training case of 2013 investigated by the NIA in which members of PFI/SDPI were convicted of organising a terrorist camp and entering into criminal conspiracy to impart training to the youth in use of explosives and weapons, with an intention to prepare them for terrorist activities,” the ED said in its statement.

    It claimed that the “involvement of PFI and its related organisations in the commission of such scheduled offences and the money transfers and cash deposits have significantly increased since the said incident in 2013”.

    The PFI has been “involved” in anti-CAA protests and several of its members and activists were also arrested by the Delhi Police in the riots case, the ED said.

    It also charged PFI with “collecting huge amounts of funds abroad through PFI members/activists specifically appointed”, saying targets for collection of foreign funds were fixed.

    “These funds have been remitted to India through hawala and under-ground channels and through remittances sent to the accounts of members/activists/office bearers of PFI and related organisations and also to their family members and associates,” it said.

    “Statutory compliance for collection of funds abroad and their remittance to India have not been done by PFI and its related organisations like Rehab India Foundation (which received around Rs 50 lakh as foreign contribution from abroad) as they are not registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976,” the ED said in its charges against PFI.

    Investigation regarding money laundering activities of PFI and its related organisations, and use of funds in various unlawful activities is in progress and supplementary chargesheets shall be filed, it said.