The tragic story of Harsh Nagotra, a young Indian man who drowned in the Chenab river, reached a solemn conclusion as his body was returned from Pakistan and handed over to his grieving family. This led the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to close a suo motu case that had been initiated to ensure the retrieval of Nagotra’s body.
The court was informed by the Deputy Solicitor General of India that the body of the deceased had been returned and cremated according to Hindu customs on July 28. With this confirmation, Acting Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Puneet Gupta decided to conclude the proceedings, deeming the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) irrelevant in light of the recent developments.
The parents of Nagotra had previously approached the court, claiming their son had drowned under mysterious circumstances and that his body was found in Pakistan. They had urged the court to facilitate the return of his remains for final rites. Initially, the court expressed reservations about handling the PIL but ultimately took up the matter suo motu.
On July 22, the court sought responses from the Union Home Ministry, the External Affairs Ministry, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The swift response and subsequent recovery of the body led to the case’s closure, bringing a semblance of closure to the bereaved family.
