PRAYAGRAJ, June 9 -- A vacation bench of the Allahabad high court has come down on the state government over a delay in disbursing ex gratia to the families of those who died in a stampede during the Mauni Amavasya bathing at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj on January 29 earlier this year. The court also sought detailed affidavits disclosing all deaths and the details of the medical handling of victims between January 28, 2025, and the conclusion of the mega fair. The court also ordered disclosure of the number of claims received, settled and pending, highlighting the state's responsibility as trustee of its citizens. Terming the state's conduct "untenable" and reflective of "apathy to the plight of the citizen", the court said once the government had announced compensation, it was its "bounden duty" to ensure timely and dignified payment. The court also expressed concerns over a dead body of the stampede victim at the Mahakumbh being handed over to the family without any autopsy or post mortem by the state-run Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj. Hearing a writ petition filed by one Uday Prtap Singh, a division bench comprising Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh and Justice Sandeep Jain on Friday directed to put up this case as fresh on July 18, 2025. The petitioner had sought compensation, saying that he was the husband of a victim who had succumbed to her injuries during the stampede. The court directed the state authorities to consider the claim of the petitioner on its own merit on the strength of the petition and a copy of the petition be treated as a copy of representation. Observing that the citizens were not at fault, the court said the state was duty bound to offer remedies and care where such unintended loss was suffered by the citizens. The court also directed impleadment of multiple medical institutions and authorities in Prayagraj as parties to the petition and directed them to file affidavits disclosing all deaths and medical handling of victims between January 28, 2025 and the end of the mela. The court said the affidavits must disclose full facts (date-wise) of all patients and dead bodies that may have been brought to those facilities and establishments under their control and of dead bodies dispatched by them. Lastly, the court directed the state government to furnish details regarding compensation claims received and disbursed along with the details of pending claims. In the present case, the court was alarmed at the fact that the body was handed over in February but no compensation had been paid to the family of the deceased. "Prima facie, we find the stand taken to be untenable and smacking of apathy to the plight of the citizen, inasmuch as the occurrence may have been caused for reasons beyond the control of the state, at the same time having realised the consequence of that occurrence and having announced a scheme for payment of ex- gratia compensation, it was the bounden duty of the state to pay up the compensation to the aggrieved families with utmost grace and dignity," observed the court in its order dated June 6....