The Allahabad High Court ordered immediate repair and renovation of Lucknow’s Pipra Ghat crematorium, citing reports of stray animals disturbing human remains. Emphasising that dignity extends beyond death, the Court directed authorities to improve facilities, ensure drinking water, and expedite construction of a modern crematorium.
The Allahabad High Court has ordered immediate repair and renovation of the Pipra Ghat crematorium located in Lucknow Cantonment. The court acted after it was informed that stray animals were repeatedly entering the premises and, in certain cases, were said to lick and scatter human remains left behind following cremations. Describing the situation as “serious” and requiring “urgent remedial measures,” the High Court held that the right to live with human dignity continues even after death, and that every deceased person is entitled to a respectful funeral and cremation.
The court also directed the authorities to ensure drinking water facilities and to expedite the construction of a modern crematorium.
As per the PIL filed by Shiv Gupta, the crematorium suffers from basic infrastructural deficiencies, including the absence of a proper boundary wall, adequate drinking water arrangements, and washroom facilities.
The petitioner informed the court that, because the boundary wall is either damaged or insufficient, stray monkeys, dogs, and cows frequently enter the cremation area. It was further alleged that the animals sometimes enter even after families leave, while the cremation pyre is still burning, and then lick or scatter human remains lying within the crematorium.
A division bench comprising Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary observed that the PIL raised a serious issue requiring immediate court intervention. On the question of dignity after death, the court held that dignity does not end with death.
The bench stated that the “right to live with human dignity extends beyond death,” and that it must ensure that every deceased individual receives a respectful funeral and due honour even during cremation.
While referring to the Supreme Court’s decision in Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan v. Union of India (2002), the High Court emphasized that dignified last rites are protected under Article 21 of the Constitution. The petitioner had sought directions for proper maintenance of the Pipra Ghat funeral ground and for ensuring that every person is given a dignified send-off after death.
During the hearing, counsel for the Cantonment Board submitted that a proposal for constructing a modern crematorium had already been sanctioned and that the authorities were in the process of floating a tender. Taking note of this, the bench directed the Cantonment Board/concerned authority to proceed expeditiously with tendering, preferably within four weeks.
The court further directed that the authorities must immediately:
- Examine the issues highlighted in the PIL, and
- Undertake repair and renovation work at the crematorium, and
- Ensure the immediate availability of drinking water facilities at the existing cremation ground.
Case Title: Shiv Gupta v. Union of India & Others
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