New Delhi, Nov 26: The Delhi High Court has rejected a PIL seeking direction to the Centre to take effective steps for the release of hundreds of Indian prisoners of war (PoWs) languishing in Pakistani and Chinese jails, saying it was for the government to make efforts for it at the diplomatic level. A division bench of Chief Justice B C Patel and Justice A K Sikri dismissed the petition filed by one Vikas Jain after the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) K K Sud informed that several Indian prisoners have been released by Pakistan following similar initiative by New Delhi.
"The government is already pursuing the matter with Islamabad at the diplomatic level," Sud told the bench.
"It is for the government to act and make efforts at the diplomatic level for the release of Indian prisoners and not the court," the bench observed.
It advised the petitioner to approach the National Human Rights Commissions of India and Pakistan for the release of Indian prisoners, if he so wished.
In his petition filed through counsel Sugriva Dubey, Jain alleged more than 500 defence personnel and almost an equal number of civilians/fishermen were in Pakistani jails while 465 Indian prisoners were there in China.
Accusing the government of having failed to do anything to get them released, Dubey said many of the Indian prisoners languishing in Pakistani and Chinese jails have since died. Bureau Report