New Delhi, July 4
The Supreme Court today refused to intervene in the matter pertaining to the Jammu and Kashmir government's decision to revoke the transfer of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, but directed the authorities to provide security to pilgrims stranded in the state due to the turmoil over the issue.
“We cannot revoke a Cabinet decision,” a Bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir said while declining to go into the question of directing the administration to lift the curfew from the Jammu region, which witnessed violent protests against the revocation of the land transfer order.
“We are not going to withdraw the curfew. Lifting the curfew is beyond our jurisdiction,” the Bench said while hearing a PIL filed by chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party Bhim Singh.
The Bench, however, allowed his prayer that adequate security and medical facilities be provided to the stranded pilgrims to the Amarnath and the Vaishno Devi shrines.
“The pilgrims either to the Vaishno Devi or the Amarnath shrine be provided adequate security till they complete their pilgrimage and leave Jammu and Kashmir,” the Bench said.
It said various other issues and submissions, including compensation to families of victims killed and injured in the police firing during the protest, could not be considered as these issues were not for the courts to decide and fell in the domain of the administration.
While directing the authorities to provide medical facilities to residents in the curfew-hit areas, the Bench cautioned Bhim Singh, who had filed the PIL in his personal capacity, not to extract political mileage out of it.
— PTI
