Justice After 39 Years: Court Awards Compensation to Srinagar Blast Victim’s Family

Srinagar court awards ₹3.24 lakh compensation with interest to family of 1985 Exhibition Ground bomb blast victim

Reyaz Rashid

Srinagar, After fighting a 39-Year legal battle, the family of a young man killed in a bomb blast at the Exhibition Ground in Srinagar in 1985 has finally received justice. The Court of 2nd Additional District Judge, Srinagar, presided over by Ms. Swati Gupta, has awarded compensation to the bereaved family nearly four decades after the tragedy.

The court ordered a compensation of ₹3.24 lakh along with 8% annual interest to the family of Avis Ahmed Shah resident of Safa Kadal Srinagar, who was just 22 when he lost his life in a militant attack at the Exhibition Ground in Srinagar on October 13, 1985.

Avis, a skilled mechanic earning ₹700–800 a month, succumbed to his injuries the following day at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura.The case was originally filed in 1986 by Avis’s father, Mohammad Yousuf Shah, but after his death in 1998, the legal battle was carried forward by Avis’s mother Mst. Khatija and siblings. The family endured an almost 40-year legal struggle marked by adjournments, ex parte proceedings, and bureaucratic silence before the judgment finally came on Wednesday.

The court held the State responsible for “negligence and lack of due caution,” noting that the government had charged an entry fee for the exhibition and was thus duty-bound to ensure safety. “If an agency of the Government undertakes the responsibility of maintaining law and order in a public gathering, it cannot shirk its liability when lives are lost due to lapses,” the judgment observed.

The ruling also invoked Article 21 of the Constitution, reminding authorities of their obligation to safeguard citizens’ right to life. “Compensation is not merely restitution but recognition of the irreparable loss suffered by the family,” the court said, directing the State to release the amount within two months.For the family of Avis Ahmed, the order is both a relief and a reminder of decades lost.

“He was the breadwinner of our home. After his death, our lives fell apart. No amount of money can bring him back, but at least the court acknowledged our suffering,” said his brother Naqeeb Ahmad outside the court, his voice trembling.

“We had almost lost hope after running from one court to another for decades. Today, this young judge Ms. Swati Gupta has given us the justice we were waiting for since 1985. It feels like our struggle was finally heard,” said Mst. Khatija, mother of the deceased.

The case reflects the haunting impact of Kashmir’s violent past, where families continue to grapple with loss, waiting years—sometimes lifetimes—for justice.