Maha Kumbh Stampede: PIL In Supreme Court Seeks Safety Measures, Guidelines For Devotees

In the aftermath of the tragic stampede at the Mahakumbh in Uttar Pradesh’s, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court, urging the implementation of stricter safety protocols for pilgrims, reported ANI.

The petition highlights the need for measures ensuring the safety of lakhs of devotees and calls for legal action against officials whose negligence may have contributed to the disaster.

Filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, the PIL emphasises that VIP movements must not endanger the common devotees and demands that maximum space be allocated for entry and exit points.

“Direct the state of Uttar Pradesh to submit a status report on Mahakumbh 2025 stampede incident that took place on January 29, 2025, and also direct to initiate legal action against the persons, authorities and officials for their negligent conduct,” the plea states.

The devastating incident, which occurred in the early hours of 29 January near the Sangam area, claimed at least 30 lives and left over 60 injured.

The petition claims that the tragedy reflects the drastic condition and fate of people due to the lapses, negligence and utter failure of administration purported by the government authorities.

The plea also seeks directives for all states to set up facilitation centres in Prayagraj to guide pilgrims on safety measures.

It calls for clear signage, announcement systems, and display boards in multiple languages to assist devotees from different states.

“All the state governments shall also arrange electronic mode messages to send the message SMS, WhatsApp message of basic guidelines and safety measures to be followed by the devotees, so that easily people may get information,” it urges.

Additionally, the petition recommends the deployment of small medical teams, including doctors and nurses, in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure prompt emergency response.

The matter was mentioned for an early hearing before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna, who advised filing an application before the court Registry.

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