Allahabad High Court dismisses Mahakumbh irregularities petition

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities during the Mahakumbh event. The court ruled that asking for an inquiry now, after the event has ended, is pointless. The PIL was filed by Keshar Singh, Yogendra Kumar Pandey, and Kamlesh Singh. They claimed that the authorities had not done their job properly. They pointed out issues like poor water quality and inadequate crowd management, which made it difficult for devotees to perform their rituals. The petitioners requested a detailed report on the budget for Mahakumbh, including how much money was spent and what was earned. However, the state's additional advocate general argued that the petition should not be allowed because it relied mainly on newspaper articles. The court agreed with this stance. It highlighted that the Supreme Court has previously ruled that a PIL cannot be based solely on hearsay evidence, such as newspaper reports.