More Stories

Informist, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025

 

NEW DELHI – A public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking directions to the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on the stampede in Maha Kumbh that killed 30 people and initiate legal action against persons, authorities and officials for their negligent conduct. At least 30 people lost their lives and nearly 60 sustained injuries in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj in the early hours of Wednesday. The stampede occurred in the Sangam area after millions thronged it to take a holy dip during the auspicious Mauni Amavasya.

 

The petitioner, Vishal Tiwari, asked the court to direct all states to establish in proper manner their facilitation centres at Prayagraj the Maha Kumbh. These centres shall provide and display the basic information regarding the safety measures and guidelines to the persons coming from their states, said Tiwari. The petitioner asked the court to direct state governments to arrange electronic mode messages to send the message, WhatsApp message of basic guidelines and safety measures to be followed by devotees, so that people may easily get information.

 

Tiwari said he filed the petition depicting the drastic condition and fate of people due to lapses, negligence and utter failure of administration purported by the government authorities. From 1954 Kumbh mela stampede accident to Maha kumbh 2025 stampede, it was clear that nothing in the administration activity of the country has changed wherein such actions could have been avoided by showing reasonable duty of care and upfront repair and development activity, said Tiwari.

 

It imposes absolute liability on the central and state governments to put the public interest at large and work in accordance with public welfare, said Tiwari. Quite often there are reports of casualties occurring due to overcrowding and lack of management by the administration and its municipal bodies, thereby causing severe public casualties, he added. Every time such incidents take place, but we do not learnt anything from the past, he added.

 

There are several questions which are brewing up from this "horrific incident of stampede", thereby questioning the duty and lapse of state government and municipal corporations, said Tiwari. Apart from the failure of maintaining and administering the supervision, the authorities have also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event, he added.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (11) 4220-1000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2025. All rights reserved.