Supreme Court to hear petition on protecting J&K students

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on Friday a PIL seeking a direction to authorities to protect Kashmiri students who are allegedly being attacked across the country following the Pulwama terror strike in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices L. Nageswara Rao and Sanjiv Khanna directed listing of the PIL after senior counsel Colin Gonsalves ma-de a mention for urgent listing as it relates to the safety and security of students.

The PIL by advocate Tariq Adeeb alleged that students from Kashmir Valley are being attacked at different educational institutions ac-ross the country after the terror attack and authorities concerned should be directed to take actions to stop such assaults.

The petitioner submitted that the attack had taken place in eight states — Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Meghalaya, Chhattis-garh and West Bengal.

The Centre has also been cited as a respondent. The petition gives details of attacks on people from Kashmir in different parts of the country.

The petitioner has prayed for steps to be taken to prevent such attacks, threats, social boycott, ostracism, evictions and other coercive acts committed by groups and mobs against Kashmiris and other minorities.

Specifically, the petition prays for directions to be issued to heads of institutions including educational institutions to take steps to protect the lives of Kashmiris.  The petition also prays for prosecution of persons indulging in hate speech.

Further, the petitioner has also sought the appointment of a senior officer as a Nodal officer in every State and Union Territory and sensitive district to prevent acts of violence and vigilantism and to ensure prosecution of offenders.