The Supreme Court Thursday refused to order an urgent hearing for a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by some law students seeking the cancellation of the September 14 India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament, and said the “match should go on.”
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The plea referred to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. It said that India playing cricket with Pakistan in such a situation is against national interest and belittles the sacrifices of the armed forces as well as the citizens who lost their lives in the attack.
Justice J K Maheshwari, presiding over a two-judge bench, asked the petitioner who urged the court to list it for hearing on Friday. “What is the urgency? It’s a match, let it be,” said Justice Maheshwari.
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The counsel told the bench, also comprising Justice Vijay Bishnoi, that the plea would become infructuous if taken up urgently as the match is scheduled for September 14.
“The match is this Sunday? What can we do about that? Let it be. The match should go on. Every day, one side, the other side, there’s a match…,” Justice Maheshwari said.
The PIL said, “Playing with Pakistan sent the opposite message that while our soldiers are sacrificing their lives, we are celebrating sports with the same country sheltering terrorists”. “It can also hurt the sentiments of the families of the victims who lost their lives at the hands of the Pakistani terrorist. The dignity of the nation and security of citizens come before entertainment.”
