The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed the Hathras incident horrible, shocking and extraordinary as it sought an affidavit from the Uttar Pradesh government on three aspects: how the family and witnesses are being protected; has the family chosen a lawyer to assist them in the matter and what is the scope of the Allahabad High Court proceedings and how could it widen its scope.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde said the court will ensure the investigations into the matter is smooth.