SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir high court Tuesday dismissed a petition by former CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti seeking transfer of Kashmiri political prisoners lodged in different jails across the country to jails in the state, describing it as “an instrument for advancing partisan or political agendas or transforming the court into a political platform”.In a strongly worded judgment, the division bench of the chief Justice Arun Palli and justice Rajnesh Oswal said, “PIL is also not a mechanism for gaining political leverage, and the courts cannot serve as a forum for electoral campaigns.”“It appears the instant petition has been initiated by the petitioner for the explicit purpose of garnering political advantage and positioning herself as a crusader of justice for a particular demographic,” the court said, dismissing the PIL as “misconceived”.The bench said the petitioner’s request is legally unsustainable as no specific transfer orders have been challenged or even brought on record for the court’s consideration.
