The Supreme Court on Wednesday scrapped a public interest litigation that alleged that the government aid provided to separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir was being misused to finance anti-India activities. The court dismissed the petition saying such matters were the "exclusive domain" of the central government. "Security issues cannot be handled through judicial proceedings, and courts must desist [from] entertaining such issues," it said, according to The Times of India.
The plea was filed by advocate ML Sharma, who claimed that the Centre spent around Rs 100 crore on Kashmir's separatist leaders and sought a check on the aid, The Indian Express reported. In the petition filed on September 8, he said the money was granted for security, foreign travel and other expenses.
A bench of justices Dipak Misra and UU Lalit also criticised the use of the term "separatists" to refer to Hurriyat leaders, saying it was a "matter of perception". It said, "Has the government declared them separatists? The conduct of a man may not be to the liking of others, and [so] they call him separatist, but you can't use that term in court."
It was earlier reported that the Centre was considering withdrawing privileges to separatist leaders in the Valley, after they refused to hold talks with members of the all-party delegation that visited the state to discuss the ongoing violence there. Reports said the leaders could lose their passports and have their security reduced, in addition to having their bank accounts scrutinised and all past cases investigated.
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