Prayagraj, Apr 30 The Allahabad High Court has ruled that claims for ex gratia compensation to victims of the Maha Kumbh stampede in Prayagraj last January must be decided by the district administration and the Mela authority within 30 days, and not by the state-appointed judicial inquiry commission.
A bench of Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Satya Veer Singh passed the order while hearing a writ petition filed by Sanjay Kumar Sharma, who sought compensation for the death of a relative in the stampede on January 29, 2025, that left 30 people dead and many injured.
Referring to an affidavit filed by the commission's secretary, the court noted, “The secretary very fairly stated that the decision of the representation qua claim of compensation was outside the scope of inquiry by the judicial commission."
The bench also observed that during the hearing, the state did not deny the occurrence of the stampede or the loss of lives, and had already paid compensation to some of the victims' families.
"In view of the state's clear admission that there was indeed loss of life and property, the commission does not need to further inquire into whether a stampede happened,” the court said.
To streamline the process, the court laid down guidelines, directing that all compensation claims be submitted to the district administration.
It said the district magistrate (Mela)/Mela Adhikari would verify each case, including confirming whether the death or loss occurred during the Mauni Amavasya stampede on January 29, 2025.
The bench said that documents such as inquest reports prepared by police and postmortem reports issued by medical authorities should be treated as "undisputed material" unless challenged with valid contrary evidence.
"The Mela Adhikari has to take a final decision in the matter of claim of compensation within a period of 30 days of its presentation," the court said.
In the present case, the court in its April 13 order noted that the inquest and postmortem reports of the deceased had not been disputed with any cogent material.
It directed the Mela Adhikari to make a decision within three weeks and file a compliance affidavit by May 7.
