2 min readNew DelhiJun 7, 2018 02:36 AM IST
First published on: Jun 7, 2018 at 02:29 AM IST
The court said the petition ignores the welfare, interest and sensitivities of the families of the victims. (Express photo: Ravi Kanojia/File)
THE DELHI High Court on Wednesday dismissed a PIL seeking an investigation into alleged lapses of the Centre in saving 39 Indians, who were killed by ISIS in Iraq in 2014, saying such pleas deserve “condemnation” and have to be “strongly discouraged”.
The court said the petition ignores the welfare, interest and sensitivities of the families of the victims.
“The writ petition which ignores the welfare, interest and sensitivities of dependents and relatives of Indian citizens who were killed after being taken into custody by a militant organisation and the public interest in ensuring healthy international relations and diplomatic ties deserves condemnation in the strongest terms,” a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said.
READ | Indians killed in Iraq: For four years, swinging between hope, despair
The court imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on advocate Mehmood Pracha, who filed the petition. It directed that money be deposited with the Delhi High Court Advocates Welfare Trust within four weeks.
The PIL sought a direction to constitute an SIT to probe into all aspects of the hostage crisis.
Read | Indians killed in Iraq: Victims’ families call it ‘government’s biggest failure’
Rejecting his demand, the court said the submissions made in the PIL reflect “extreme insensitivity” to the families of the victims. It noted that the petition did not even refer to the elaborate steps, such as carrying out DNA profiling and matching, taken by the Indian and Iraqi authorities to establish the identities of those dead.
“Thereby the petitioner is guilty of concealment of material facts,” the bench said. “This writ petition in our view also is not guided by… public interest.”
Pracha, in his plea, had contended that the Centre was aware long back that the Indians had been killed by the terror outfit after their abduction from Mosul, but had chosen to not disclose it.
The court said the petition ignores the welfare, interest and sensitivities of the families of the victims. (Express photo: Ravi Kanojia/File)
Share
