The Allahabad High Court (HC) on Monday dismissed a petition demanding a CBI investigation into the alleged flaws, deficiencies, and irregularities in the arrangements ofMaha Kumbh.
The verdict was delivered by the division bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhasali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra following a hearing on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Keshar Singh, Yogendra Kumar Pandey and Kamlesh Singh.
Earlier, on March 11, the court had reserved its judgment after hearing arguments on the petition that sought a CBI probe into the alleged mismanagement and administrative negligence during the grand religious event.
The petitioners, through their advocate Vijay Chandra Srivastava, argued that the negligence of the fair administration led to several irregularities, causing hardship to the devotees. They highlighted issues such as contamination of Ganga water, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of proper arrangements for the influx of over 66 Crore devotees from across the globe.
Citing the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order and the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) reports, Srivastava emphasised that administrative lapses compromised the purity of the Ganga.
He further pointed out that only a few of the 30 pontoon bridges were operational, forcing devotees to walk 30-40
kilometers. The petitioners alleged that despite the UP government’s significant expenditure on the event, devotees faced exorbitant charges for accommodation and boat rides due to the administration’s
indifference.
The lack of adequate facilities for water, food, sleeping and sanitation further worsened the situation.
The stampede during Mauni Amavasya, attributed to administrative negligence, was also highlighted.
The petitioners argued that the drone monitoring system was non-functional, and the report on the stampede and the affected individuals was never submitted to the government.
The petition named 13 individuals and entities, including the state government, as parties. Among them were DIG Mahakumbh Mela Vaibhav Krishna, IPS Ajay Pal Sharma, Controller of Digital Kumbh Electronic, Swami Rambhadracharya of Tulsi Peeth, Peethadheeshwar Dhirendra Shastri of Bageshwar Dham, UP Vidyut Limited, Prayagraj Divisional Commissioner, District Magistrate, SSP Mela, DCP Traffic, Mahakumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand, and the Prayagraj Mela Authority.
Despite the petitioners’ insistence on a CBI investigation, the court found the arguments insufficient to warrant such a probe and dismissed the PIL.
