NEW DELHI — Following the tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh in which at least 30 people were killed and around 60 others injured, a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking legal action against authorities and officials for their “negligent conduct”.
The petition said the incident depicts the drastic condition and fate of people due to the lapses, negligence and utter failure of administration purported by the government authorities.
Apart from the “failure of maintaining and administering the supervision”, the plea alleged that the authorities had also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event.
“From the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede accident to the Maha Kumbh 2025 stampede in Uttar Pradesh which took around 30 lives and left several injured, it is clear and visible to mention that nothing in the administration activity of our country has changed wherein such actions could have been avoided by showing reasonable duty of care and upfront repair and development activity,” stated the petition.
Quite often there are reports of casualties occurring due to overcrowding and lack of management by the administration and its municipal bodies, it highlighted, adding that every time such incidents take place “we have not learnt anything from the past”.
As per the petition, the event of Kumbh is one of the biggest and leading religious events of the nation, and hence, it becomes the collective responsibility of all states to ensure the safety and secure visit of its respective residents.
“All states shall have to come forward for proper facilitation, security, medical facility, transportation and other facilities for their respective residents who are going to Maha Kumbh. Whenever such incidents happen, mostly the common and poor people become victims,” the petition said.
“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,” it added.
Similar incidents of stampede had also taken place earlier in religious festivals, ceremonies and events, the petition said. It prayed that the Uttar Pradesh government be directed to file a status report on the Maha Kumbh 2025 stampede incident and initiate legal action against the authorities and officials for their negligent conduct.