PIL against shutdowns, curfews

Srinagar, Oct 27:  The Public Interest Litigation (PIL)  filed by two NGOs last week against frequent shutdowns and imposition of curfews in the Valley has been listed for hearing before a Division Bench of High Court on November 2, reports Rissing Kashmir (26/10/2010)

The  PIL before was filed  by Jammu and Kashmir Tameer-e-Muashra Executive member Muhammad Sidiq Malik and Akhil Bharatiya Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi Foundation state president Ghulam Qadir Kullay on October 18. The PILs have sought court’s directions to separatist leaders not to disrupt normal life in the Valley by calling for frequent strikes and shutdowns.

The PIL has also made the Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary, the Director General of Police and the Additional DGP (Law and Order) as respondents  for imposing frequent curfews, which also disrupt normal life in Kashmir.

“ The PIL filed last week  has been listed  in the supplementary cause list before any  available Division Bench on next Tuesday (November 2),” sources in the High Court Registry told Rising Kashmir.

The litigants have sought court’s directions to prohibit Hurriyat (G) Chairman Syed Ali Geelani, Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq  and Masrat Alam from issuing protest calendars.

“Frequent strikes and curfews have badly hit tourism and business sectors in the Valley and has crippled the education sector as well”, the litigants have submitted in the PIL.

Providing statistics and figures in support of its claims, the PIL states that shutdowns and resultant clashes have resulted in loss of over 100 precious lives and injuries to more than 8,500 people including 4,000 security men.

It is pertinent to mention here that High Court had played a pivotal role in ending over three month long strike of government employees by observing that there is “no fundamental, legal or statutory right for the employees to go on strike”.

The observations of HC’s Division Bench on  April 13 this year came after two lawyers approached the Court with a PIL, seeking indulgence  of the court in the sufferings and hardships  faced by the  public  due to the  indefinite strike called by government employees.

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