SC directs UP govt to apprise it by Thursday on steps taken to protect witnesses in Hathras case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to apprise it by October 8 on the steps taken to protect witnesses in the Hathras case in which a Dalit girl was allegedly brutally raped and died due to injuries.
The apex court's observation came while hearing a PIL during which the Uttar Pradesh government expressed willingness to refer the investigation to the CBI as fake narratives were being spread about the case with political motives.
Terming the incident as horrible and extraordinary, a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said it will ensure that investigation is smooth in the case.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the UP government, said: Narratives after narratives being spread in Hathras case, this this needs to be stopped."
The CBI probe in Hathras case will ensure no vested interests will be able to create fake, false narrative with oblique motives, Mehta told the court.
The state government told the top court that probe in Hathras case may be conducted by CBI under supervision of apex court.
A 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".
The state government has already recommended a CBI probe in the matter and quoting FSL reports, it has denied the rape charge.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
