Chandigarh, May 6: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a public interest litigation seeking posthumous recognition as “Martyrs/Shaheed” for the 26 tourists killed in the recent terror attack at Pahalgam.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel raised critical questions about the maintainability of the petition under Article 226 of the Constitution.
“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?” the bench asked during the hearing.
The plea, filed by advocate Ayush Ahuja, urged the Union government and the Prime Minister’s Office to officially confer the status of ‘Martyr/Shaheed’ on the victims and erect statues in their memory with their names inscribed in golden letters.
Ahuja also requested that the attack site be renamed ‘Memorable Martyrs/Shaheed Hindu Valley Tourist Place’ as a tribute.
Arguing before the court, Ahuja stated, “The innocent tourists were shot by the terrorists in the name of religion; they had to face them like a soldier.”
He underlined that the attack was not random but targeted and deserved official acknowledgment akin to that accorded to soldiers.
Opposing the petition, Additional Solicitor-General of India Satya Pal Jain questioned its timing and content.
“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,” Jain told the court.
The case, which blends emotion with constitutional considerations, now awaits the court’s final ruling.
