Court rejects PIL to declare Pahalgam 'Shaheed Hindu Tourist Place'
What's the story
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused to issue directions on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to confer "martyr" status on the victims of the recent Pahalgam terror attack. The PIL also sought directions to declare the attack site as a "Shaheed Hindu Valley Tourist Place." A bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel said such matters fall under government policy-making, which courts cannot interfere with.
Legal advice
Court advises petitioner to approach government
The court advised the petitioner to approach the state government with their demands. The bench said, "The court refrains from entering into the field of policy making, which is exclusively reserved for the executive." They added that while they cannot grant such directions under Article 226, any representation made by the petitioner would be considered by the relevant authorities as per law.
Attack details
Terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam
Petitioner Ayush Ahuja, seeking the martyr's status, told the court that the "innocent tourists were shot in the head by the terrorists in the name of religion, they had to face them like a soldier." The terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, last month left 26 tourists dead when terrorists opened fire. The incident escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, leading to the launch of Operation Sindoor by India in retaliation.