Hathras: SC reserves order on transfer of trial

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea by the family of Hathras gang-rape victim seeking the transfer of the trial to Delhi while making it clear that it does not intent to interfere with Allahabad high court that is dealing with the matter.

Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde, heading a bench also comprising Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice V. Ramasubramanian, indicated tossing all the PILs and intervention applications relating to Hathras case to Allahabad high court, including plea of the accused against media trial.

Several senior counsels appearing for different intervenors backed the victim’s family’s plea for transfer of trial to Delhi and expressed apprehension about the fate of the trial in Uttar Pradesh.

Gonsalves urged the court that the security of the victim’s family be entrusted to the Central Reserve Police Force, raising questions about the role of Uttar Pradesh police in the case right from day when it refused to even register an FIR in the case.

Advocate Seema Kushwaha appearing for the victim’s family also told the court that the status report of the CBI's investigation should be submitted directly to the court and not routed through UP DGP, a position readily backed by solicitor general Tushar Mehta.