The Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the central and state governments on a plea alleging that authorities did not search for the bodies of people killed in the 2021 Dhauli Ganga river tragedy.
The PIL filed by Delhi resident Acharya Ajay Gautam sought the recovery of the bodies buried under debris after the disaster for performing their last rites.
In the disaster near Raini village in 2021, many people died and went missing, the plea said and claimed that 206 people had died in the tragedy.
A division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Alok Verma issued the notices asking the governments to submit their responses within three weeks.
The petitioner alleged that the state government did not even search for the bodies buried in debris after the disaster.
Gautam in his plea said 122 victims of the tragedy are still missing, including people from other countries.
It is the responsibility of the state government to find the bodies of the missing people and perform their last rites in accordance with customs and traditions, the PIL said.
