The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on February 22 a petition seeking protection for Kashmiris, especially students, from public harassment and attacks in the aftermath of the Pulwama suicide bombing on February 14, which killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi assured senior advocate Colin Gonsalves that the petition, filed by advocate Tariq Adeeb, would be posted for consideration on Friday.
The petitioner sought a direction to “forthwith take steps to prevent threats, assaults, violent attacks, social boycotts, ostracism, evictions and other coercive acts committed by groups and mobs against Kashmiris and other minorities, particularly in the wake of the Pulwama attack.”
At least 300 students studying in colleges in Uttarakhand fled to Jammu and Delhi following large-scale evictions from campuses and hostels, The Hindu reported. The Jammu and Kashmir administration confirmed that a large number of distress calls had been received from students in Uttarakhand.
The court may also hear, on Friday, a PIL filed by Vineet Dhanda seeking an independent probe led by a retired apex court judge into the Pulwama attack.
Mr. Dhanda wants the apex court to set up the judicial commission to investigate any lapses at the local level and probe the “role played by Indian nationals in helping the terrorists from Pakistan in executing” the Pulwama attack.
The petitioner has also sought an appropriate direction to the Centre to submit a “detailed report regarding the action taken against the All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders who are actively involved in anti- national activities”.
The plea also wants a direction to freeze the accounts belonging to All Parties Hurriyat Conference and their leaders and submit an action taken report before the apex court.
