New Delhi: The Supreme Court is likely to hear today a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction to the Centre and the state governments to protect Kashmiri students, being targeted across the country in the wake of Pulwama terror attack.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Thursday said they might hear the PIL
today after senior counsel Colin Gonsalves mentioned it for an urgent hearing.
“It is neither possible, nor necessary,” CJI Gogoi said as Gonsalves urged the court to hear the PIL in the afternoon, at least by 2 pm.
PIL petitioner Tariq Adeeb has referred to a dozen media reports of attack on Kashmiri students across the country after a CRPF convoy was attacked by a terrorist in an explosive-laden SUV on February 14, resulting in the death of 40 troopers.
He also said the students from the Kashmir valley living in other states were in constant fear and facing threats after the attack.
Also citing the statement of Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy exhorting the boycott of Kashmiris and their goods, Adeeb referred to the apex court’s July 17, 2018 judgment on the issue of curbing of activities of vigilante groups and mob lynching.
In another related matter, advocate JP Dhanda sought an early listing of the plea for probe into Pulwama terror attack. Meanwhile, security cover of 18 separatist leaders and 155 Jammu and Kashmir politicians has been withdrawn in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.
An order issued by the Home Department late on Wednesday said security cover of separatists and some mainstream politicians was also being withdrawn/downgraded apart from those that were initially withdrawn on February 18.
As per the new order, the new list includes names from the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), BJP and the Congress.
Some of them are Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, JKLF chief Yasin Malik, former IAS officer Shah Faesal and PDP leader Waheed Para.
—IANS
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