HC refuses to entertain PIL to remove graves of Afzal Guru, Maqbool Bhatt from Tihar Jail premises
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a plea seeking directions for removing the graves of terrorists Mohammad Afzal Guru and Mohammad Maqbool Bhatt from Tihar Jail premises here to "prevent glorification".
The two terrorists were sentenced to death and executed in Tihar Jail.
"No law or rule prohibits cremation or burial inside the jail premises,"a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said and ordered that the PIL is “dismissed as withdrawn”.
Sensing the high court’s indication, the petitioners’ counsel had urged the court to allow him to withdraw the petition and re-file it with certain data.
“For approaching the court for a relief in a PIL, you have to show us any violation of constitutional rights, fundamental rights or statutory rights. No law or rule prohibits cremation or burial inside the jail premises,” the bench said.
The court said it cannot entertain the petition to remove the graves as it was a decision taken by the government keeping in mind the law and order situation.
The PIL also sought directions to the authorities concerned to relocate the mortal remains, if necessary, to a secret location to prevent “glorification of terrorism” and misuse of jail premises.
The court agreed with the submission of petitioners' counsel that graves cannot become a pilgrimage or a site for glorification but made it clear that there has to be some data on record to show that the site was being glorified.
As the counsel said it was available in the public domain and there were media reports on the issue, the bench said a PIL cannot be based on newspaper reports.
The plea filed by Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh and one Jitendra Singh claimed the construction and continued existence of these graves inside a state-controlled prison was “illegal, unconstitutional, and against public interest”.
Advocate Varun Kumar Sinha, representing the petitioners, claimed that the presence of these graves has turned the central jail, Tihar, into a site of “radical pilgrimage” where extremist elements gather to venerate convicted terrorists.
“This not only undermines national security and public order, but also sanctifies terrorism in direct contravention of the principles of secularism and rule of law under the Constitution of India,” he argued.
To this, the bench asked for the data on the basis of which it can be said that people are going inside to pay homage at the graves of Guru and Bhatt.
On the submission that prison rules require that graves have to be transported outside, the court said it does not say that each and every body has to be necessarily taken out of prison premises.
"The emphasis is that if the body has to be taken out, it has to be done with all solemnity, just to pay respect to the dead. No law or rule prohibits cremation or burial inside the jail premises," the bench said.
On the argument that the existence of the two graves is causing nuisance for other inmates in jail, the bench questioned how it could be a nuisance and whether any complaint has been received from any inmate in this regard. It said that "prima facie graves do not cause nuisance".
"There are reports that to pay homage to them, people from that community are committing crimes and going inside. This is in public domain and this is creating a nuisance for the inmates of the jail," Sinha claimed.
The court disagreed with the submission that the graves were causing health hazards.
"This provision has been made... say there is a dead animal on the street or someone's premises, then only that nuisance has to be removed. It is not for the removal of graves if the grave has been put in with the consent of the authorities who own that land. Jail is not a public place. It is a place owned by the State established for the specific purpose of incarceration of accused or those who are convicted," the bench said.
It also asked why the petitioners are raising the issue after nearly 12 years.
"Somebody's last rites are to be respected. At the same time, we need to ensure that no law and order issue arises. The government decided to have the burial in jail keeping these issues in mind. Can you challenge it 12 years later?" the court asked.
The plea claimed that the existence of these graves inside the jail "violates the express provisions of the Delhi Prisons Rules, 2018", which mandate disposal of bodies of executed prisoners in a manner that prevents glorification, ensures prison discipline, and maintains public order.
“The petitioners therefore seek the urgent intervention of this court to direct the respondents to remove the said graves from Tihar Jail and ensure their relocation in a secure, undisclosed manner, in line with established state practice in the cases of executed terrorists such as Ajmal Kasab and Yakub Memon, where every precaution was taken to prevent glorification," it said.
The plea said both Bhatt and Guru, acting under the influence of “extremist Jihadi ideology”, orchestrated and executed acts of terrorism that gravely threatened the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of India.
While Bhatt was hanged in 1984 over the abduction and killing of an Indian diplomat in the UK, Guru was executed in February 2013 after his conviction in the 2001 Parliament attack case
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
