The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday issued notices to Punjab government and Orbit Aviation Ltd in connection with the molestation and death of a 13-year-old girl.
The minor girl died after she and her mother were allegedly pushed off a moving bus on the Moga-Bathinda highway on April 29. The incident led to widespread outrage and a ban on the Orbit Company’s buses by the Punjab government.
The high court also sought details of buses owned by the state government, private-run buses and their ownership pattern. The court asked the details to be submitted by May 15.
Earlier, the Parkash Singh Badal government ordered a judicial probe into the incident. The judicial commission of inquiry will be headed by former chief justice of Kerala High Court VK Bali.
The issue also led to huge upraor in the Parliament on Tuesday.
The family of the Dalit girl, who died last Wednesday, had refused to allow her autopsy and cremation till the owners of the Orbit Aviation Transport Company, implying Sukhbir Badal and others were booked.
The mother and daughter were targeted with indecent gestures and were molested by some goons on the bus. When they resisted the molesters, including three bus staff, they were thrown out of the speeding vehicle.
The girl died immediately while the mother was admitted to a hospital in a serious condition. The body of the girl was brought by her family from the Faridkot Medical College and Hospital where her post-mortem examination was conducted. She was cremated at her native village in Punjab on Sunday.
Buses of the Orbit transport company were taken off the roads in Punjab on Saturday following orders from Sukhbir Badal.
