Supreme Court Dismisses Jammu and Kashmir Administration's Appeal Against Bilkis Mir

Supreme Court Ruling on Bilkis Mir Case

New Delhi, July 29 - The Supreme Court has rejected the Jammu and Kashmir administration's petition that sought to challenge the quashing of a corruption case against Bilkis Mir, India's first female judge for kayaking and canoeing at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The administration had appealed to the Supreme Court against a High Court ruling from July of the previous year, which annulled the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against Mir. The High Court had reprimanded officials, stating, 'It appears that those in power are leaving no stone unturned to harass such talented individuals.'

The Jammu and Kashmir administration requested the Supreme Court to forgive the delay in filing the appeal against the High Court's order and to exempt them from submitting a certified copy of the decision.

A bench comprising Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi granted relief for the delay in challenging the High Court's order but dismissed the petition based on the merits of the case. In their ruling on July 27, the bench stated, 'After hearing the arguments presented by the petitioner's counsel, we are not inclined to consider this petition. Therefore, the special leave petition is dismissed.'

In a detailed 20-page judgment delivered last year, Justice Sanjay Dhar of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court expressed concern that the ACB had even attempted to investigate whether the evaluators had assessed Bilkis Mir's answer sheets correctly during her undergraduate examinations.

The High Court remarked, 'The ACB's attitude clearly indicates a vendetta against the petitioner (Mir). This case appears to be a malicious campaign driven by vested interests against the petitioner.'