Decide payout for Maha Kumbh stampede victim in 30 days: HC

Prayagraj: Allahabad high court has ordered authorities to decide a compensation claim within 30 days for the husband of a woman who died after the Maha Kumbh stampede, rejecting UP govt's plea to wait for an inquiry commission's final report, reports Rajesh Kumar Pandey. The division bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Swarupama Chaturvedi warned that failure to comply would force the court to take a "serious view".The order stems from a writ petition by Uday Pratap Singh, who claimed his wife suffered critical chest injuries in the stampede and died within 30 days. A sudden surge allegedly led by young men tore through the crowd in pre-dawn hours, trampling sleeping pilgrims near the ghat at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj during the Mauni Amavasya bath on Jan 29, 2025. Thirty people, mostly women, were killed. The court directed Kumbh Mela authority and the inquiry commission to finalise claim within 30 days of its Jan 8 order and asked additional advocate general Anoop Trivedi to file a compliance affidavit by Feb 18. The state had said that the inquiry timeline was extended in public interest as dependents were approaching late.