The High Court held that ex gratia claims arising from the January 29, 2025 Mahakumbh Mela stampede must be decided by the District Administration and Mela Authority within 30 days.
The High Court directed authorities to decide ex gratia compensation claims from the January 29, 2025 Mahakumbh Mela stampede within 30 days.
It clarified that victims must submit claims to the District Administration and the Mela Authority. The State-appointed Judicial Enquiry Commission cannot decide these claims.
A Division Bench of Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Satya Veer Singh heard the case. Sanjay Kumar Sharma filed the writ petition seeking compensation for a relative’s death in the stampede.
The Bench reviewed an affidavit from the Secretary of the Judicial Inquiry Commission. It found that the Commission lacks the power to decide compensation claims. Earlier, the Commission had returned the file to the Meladhikari and asked the Mela administration to act.
The Court examined the Commission’s terms of reference in detail. Its role includes identifying the causes of the incident and suggesting preventive measures. It also reviews loss of life and property and checks coordination among authorities and health services.
However, the Commission cannot decide individual compensation claims.
During the hearing, the State did not deny the stampede. It also confirmed that some victims’ families had already received compensation.
This stance showed clear acceptance of loss of life and property. Once the State admitted the incident, no further inquiry into its occurrence was needed.
The Court directed claimants to approach the District Administration. The District Magistrate (Mela) or the Meladhikari must verify each case carefully.
Authorities must check whether the deaths occurred on Mauni Amavasya. They should examine all supporting material before taking a decision.
Officials must rely on inquest and postmortem reports unless strong contrary evidence appears. The Meladhikari must decide each claim within 30 days of submission.
In this matter, officials had already prepared both an inquest report and a postmortem report. No party challenged these documents.
Therefore, the Court directed the Meladhikari to decide the petitioner’s claim within three weeks. It also ordered a compliance affidavit before the next hearing on May 7.
Advocates Ankit Kumar Pal and Praveen Kumar Singh appeared for the petitioner.
Senior Advocate Anoop Trivedi represented the Kumbh Mela Authority with Advocate Abhinav Gaur.
Additional Advocate General Manish Goyal, along with Standing Counsel Anubhav Chandra, appeared for the State and the Enquiry Commission.
