'No fresh incidents of violence against Kashmiris'

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to pass any further directions after the Centre said not a single incident of attack against Kashmiris and students took place after the top court's order of February 22.

"We take on record submission by Attorney General K K Venugopal that after the court passed the order on February 22, no incident took place as seen in the sequel to Pulwama incident," a bench presided over by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for petitioner Tariq Adeeb, also an advocate, sought issuance of some interim directions like online registration of FIRs in case of mob violence and setting up a helpline. He sought to bring into the court's notice about the death of a Pakistani national in Rajasthan jail.

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The bench, also comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and Sanjiv Khanna, said, "no further directions except those passed on February 22 are called upon at present."

The court asked 11 states to file their response within seven days about the steps taken in term of its orders.

The top court had then ordered chief secretary and police heads of all states and Union Territories to take "prompt and necessary actions" to prevent attack, threat, intimidation, or social boycott of Kashmiris after the February 14 Pulwama attack which claimed lives of 49 security personnel.

The court had issued notice to the states of Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and others on a petition filed by advocate Adeeb.

The court directed that the nodal officers appointed in terms of the apex court's judgement of July 14, 2018 with regard to mob lynching will act as nodal officer to prevent any act of violence against Kashmiris and Kashmiri students or other minorities.

"It would be given wide publicity in all states so that all acts of assault, threat, intimidation or social boycott can be brought into notice for actions. Advisory already issued be retreated from time to time," the bench said.

Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, had then said, it is the human problem. The Union government has already taken steps. Nodal officers have already been appointed in all states, advisory has been issued on February 16. Telephone numbers have also been given.

It was done as Kashmiri students were vulnerable. Nodal officers were appointed after the February 14 incident of Pulwama attack.

He said the Intelligence secretary met him last evening, he said he was in touch with DGPs of all states.

In his plea, the petitioner-advocate, Adeeb sought directions to the Centre and other state governments to "take steps to prevent threat, assaults, violent attack, social boycott, ostracism, eviction and other coercive acts by groups and mobs against Kashmiri and other minorities, particularly in the wake of terrorist attack of February 14."

He also sought a direction to head of educational institutions to take steps to protect life and dignity of Kashmiri and other minority students.

The petitioner said a nodal officer should be appointed in every state and each district to prevent any act of violence and prosecute those involved into it.

He said a website should be created to list the incidents and action taken on those matters. The petitioner said a helpline should also be created. Among other things, the petitioner cited Meghalaya governor Tathagat Roy's tweet asking for boycott of Kashmiri products.