July 24,2017:
SC Bench added that,”You sat over it for last 27 years. Now tell us from where evidence will come”.
On Monday, Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea seeking the probe and prosecution of various persons, including Separatist Leader Yasin Malik, for the offences including murder of over 700 Kashmiri Pandits during height of militancy in the Valley in 1989-90.
Apex Court Bench comprising of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud expounded that almost 27 years have passed and it will be very difficult to gather the evidences in cases of murder, arson and looting which had led to mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Valley.
Appearing for an organisation,’Roots of Kashmir’, Advocate Vikas Padora, saubmitted that Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave their abodes in Valley and could not join investigation and further submitted that delay was there but neither Centre nor State Government nor Judiciary took adequate note of it to do needful.
Organisation has further alleged that 215 FIRs had been lodged relating to murder of over 700 Kashmiri Pandits and none of cases have reached the logical conclusion.
The Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the Valley in the early 1990s amid rising levels of threats and attacks during peak of militancy.