Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi today \u2013 Monday, Sep 16 \u2013 sought a report from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice on allegations that people were finding it difficult to approach the High Court and said that he will visit J&K if required.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a very, very serious matter if people are unable to approach the High Court, I will myself visit Srinagar,\u201d Gogoi said. The top court also directed the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice to submit a report on whether the High Court is accessible to litigants or not in the wake of restrictions put in place since August 5, when the centre ended special status to the state and bifurcated it into two Union Territories.<\/p>\n
Justice Gogoi also warned the petitioners to be ready to face the \u2018consequences\u2019 if the HC chief justice\u2019s report was contrary to their plea.<\/p>\n
The plea was filed by child rights activist Enakshi Ganguly on the state of children between six and 18 years because of the restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want things done under the aegis of the High Court, you can go there,\u201d the court said to the activist, reported NDTV.<\/p>\n
When Ganguly\u2019s lawyer said it was difficult to go to the High Court, CJI Gogoi responded: \u201cWhy is it difficult to go to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court? Is anyone coming in the way? We want to know from the Chief Justice (High Court). If required, I will go to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court, calling upon the High Court Chief Justice to submit a report, said, \u201cThe petitioner alleges access to the High Court is seriously affected.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CJI warned the lawyer that if the report of the High Court Chief Justice indicates contrarily, then there would be \u201cconsequences\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ganguly has filed a joint writ petition with Prof. Shanta Sinha, the first Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in the Supreme Court on reports of illegal detention of many children in Kashmir, seeking judicial intervention in the matter.<\/p>\n
The petition, reported India Legal, seeks court\u2019s directions to the government for a status report on actual number of detentions, injuries and deaths of children and monitoring of detention incidents by the Juvenile Justice Committee of the J&K High Court.<\/p>\n
The petition submits that reports of violations of different kinds \u201care serious enough to merit judicial review of the situation with respect to children and to enforce and monitor certain immediate corrective action.\u201d<\/p>\n