Punjab and Haryana High Court reserves order on plea seeking martyr’s status for tourists killed in Pahalgam

Less than a week after a petition was filed seeking posthumous status of “Martyrs/Shaheed” for 26 tourists killed in a terror attack at Pahalgam, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday reserved the verdict.

The Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel asserted: "Does declaring them a martyr fall under Article 226? Please provide one precedent. This is an administrative matter and a question of policy, and should be left to the executive to decide. Can we do it?"

Responding to the query, petitioner Ayush Ahuja submitted: "The innocent tourists were shot by the terrorists in the name of religion, they had to face them like a soldier..."

Opposing the plea, Additional Solicitor-General of India Satya Pal Jain submitted: “The petitioner has no idea what the Government of India is doing. The Home Minister reached Srinagar on the same evening…we are at the verge of war with the other nation...this is not the time to raise such issues, we are prioritising other things."

Filed in public interest, Ahuja – a practising advocate – had sought a direction to the Union of India and the Prime Minister’s Office to officially confer the title “Martyr/Shaheed” on those killed. Ahuja had also prayed for putting up statues bearing the victims’ names inscribed in golden letters.

The petitioner sought a declaration to rename the attack site as ‘Memorable Martyrs/Shaheed Hindu Valley Tourist Place’ to honour the memory of the slain tourists.