HC dismisses plea seeking directions to state, Centre

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 3

The Jammu and Kashmir Government has dismissed a public interest litigation which had sought directions to the state and the Central governments to implement the rehabilitation policy for the welfare of the released and surrendered militants who laid down their arms.

The petition was dismissed by a division bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey on the grounds that the particulars of the released militants were not given along with the copy of the rehabilitation scheme for the militants, introduced by the previous Omar Abdullah-led government.

“The petitioner has placed on file the copy of the scheme but no particulars of the released persons are given and whether the concerned persons have approached the official respondents,” the bench observed in its orders made available today. It added: “What are the rights of the (released militants), denied by the respondents, are not mentioned” in the PIL.

“The petition filed without material particulars cannot be entertained. The petition as such is denied,” the bench said in its orders.

In the PIL, it had been submitted that in order to bring them back to the democratic setup, the government had framed a scheme for the rehabilitation of the released militants after they had laid down their arms but on the ground, the schemes remained only on paper.

“The released militants are treated as animals. Neither are they nor their relatives issued passports. Besides the education of their children has also suffered as they are denied admissions to schools and colleges for being the children of released/surrendered militants,” submitted the petitioner, Moulvi Noor-ul-Haq Khan, while seeking directions to J&K and the Centre to implement the rehabilitation policy for released/surrendered militants in J&K.

The released/surrendered militants were “assured protection and other benefits after their surrender”, but the respondents have failed to keep their promises, forcing them to live a miserable life, the petition said.