Stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan: DB fixes Contempt Petition for final Consideration

21/02/2025

JAMMU, Feb 20: A Division Bench of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh at Jammu comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M.A. Chowdhary in the much publicised Public Interest Litigation followed by Contempt Petition seeking disclosure of the 3-member Enquiry Report which was assigned the task to examine in detail the causes/reasons behind the unfortunate stampede at the Bhawan of Mata Vaishno Devi, Katra in the intervening night of 31-12-2021/01-01-2022 which resulted in the death of 12 pilgrims and injuries to several devotees has directed the Registry to list the instant Contempt Petition for final consideration on April 22nd, 2025 and the Division Bench also observed that Response Affidavit to the Statement of Facts has been filed on October 21st, 2024 by the petitioner.
When the Contempt petition filed by the Petitioner-Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed alleging non-compliance of the Judgement dated April 26th, 2023 passed in WP(C) PIL No.12/2022 came up for hearing, Advocate H.A. Siddiqui with Advocates Supriya Chouhan and Rahul Raina appearing for the petitioner submitted that the petitioner pursuant to order dated September 18th, 2024 passed by the Division Bench in the Contempt Petition has filed his Response Affidavit on October 21st, 2024 to the Statement of Facts filed by Sanjeev Verma (IAS), the then Commissioner/Secretary to Government of J&K.
Advocate H.A. Siddiqui in the open Court submitted that the Division Bench had directed the Govt. of J&K to take effective steps in furtherance of the decision/recommendations of the 3-Members Committee constituted for ensuring safety of the pilgrims and devotees and the Statement of Facts filed by Sanjeev Verma (IAS), Commissioner/Secretary to Govt. of J&K, General Administration Department is not in tune with the Judgement passed by the Division Bench on 26-04-2023. He further submitted that the Statement of Facts is completely silent with regard to the action taken against the delinquent Officers/Officials on whose negligence 12 innocent devotees lost their lives in the stampede.
Advocate H.A. Siddiqui further submitted that in the Response Affidavit, the petitioner-Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed has averred that it is unfortunate that till date the 3-members Enquiry Report has not seen the light of the day and even the said report was supressed from the Division Bench and all out attempt has been made to shield the erring officials who remained remiss in the performance of their duties which resulted into the stampede which claimed 12 innocent lives.

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