Vaishno Devi stampede: Court grants time to petitioner to respond to Govt’s statement

Jammu, Sep 21: The Jammu Kashmir High Court has granted time to the petitioner to respond to the Statement of Facts filed by the General Administration Department (GAD) regarding the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in 2022. The stampede, which occurred on January 1, 2022, resulted in the deaths of 12 pilgrims and injured several others.
During the hearing, Advocate H.A. Siddiqui, representing the petitioner, argued that the GAD’s statement failed to address the causes and reasons behind the incident or identify the responsible officials. Siddiqui claimed that the government had not implemented the recommendations of the three-member inquiry committee constituted to investigate the stampede.
The court directed the petitioner to file a response to the GAD’s statement by the next hearing date, October 21, 2024. The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice (Acting) Tashi Rabstan and Justice M.A. Chowdhary, emphasized the importance of the matter and ordered the registry to re-notify the contempt petition.
The stampede occurred on January 1, 2022, when hundreds of pilgrims were packed inside the Vaishno Devi Temple corridor to offer prayers shortly after midnight. An eyewitness claimed that a large commotion was heard around 2:30 am, followed by a surge of people that led to the stampede.
The government constituted a three-member inquiry committee, headed by Principal Secretary Shaleen Jabra, to investigate the incident. The committee was tasked with identifying the lapses and fixing responsibility for the stampede.
The petitioner has been granted time to respond to the GAD’s statement, and the court will consider the matter on October 21, 2024. [KNT]