Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notices to Punjab government and Orbit Aviation Ltd, the owners of the bus company, 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 governmnt, private-run buses and their ownership pattern.
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 an uproar in the Parliament.
The family of the Dalit girl, who died last week, had refused to allow her autopsy and cremation till the owners of the Orbit Aviation Transport company, implying deputy chief minister 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 after five days.
Buses of the Orbit transport company were taken off the roads in Punjab following orders from Sukhbir Badal.
