SC rejects plea seeking earmarking of PoK, Gilgit as LS seats

New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a public interest litigation and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 against the petitioner who sought a direction to the Centre to declare Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit as parliamentary seats.A bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said the petition filed by former RAW official Ram Kumar Yadav is legally untenable."You come to the judiciary with such a prayer? There cannot be any judicial interference here. We cannot pass such orders," the bench said.The petitioner said that as many as 24 constituencies in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly have been carved out by the government from PoK and Gilgit. These territories are under the occupation of Pakistan.The petitioner requested the court that on the lines of the Assembly seats, the central government be directed to earmark two seats in the Lok Sabha for PoK and Gilgit, respectively.The 111-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly has always functioned with 87 legislators.
--IANS ak/akk