A person who commits suicide cannot be termed a martyr, the Delhi High Court today told the AAP government which had conferred the status on an ex- armyman, who allegedly killed himself over the OROP issue.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Anu Malhotra asked what duty was somebody, who was at Jantar Mantar, discharging.
"He committed suicide on his own. Can he be called a martyr," the bench asked.
The court was hearing two PILs against the Delhi government's decision to accord martyr status to Ram Kishan Grewal who had allegedly committed suicide during a protest at Jantar Mantar over the 'One Rank, One Pension'(OROP) issue on November 1 last year.
Another PIL opposed the city government's decision to declare as martyr a Rajasthan-based-politician-cum-farmer Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat who had allegedly hanged himself at an AAP rally at Jantar Mantar on April 22, 2015.
The incident took place during an anti-land bill rally called by the Aam Aadmi Party.
The court's oral observation came while clubbing all three matters together and listing them for further hearing on July 7.
During the brief arguments, the petitioners' lawyers told the court that only those persons who die fighting in border areas or while discharging their duty there can be termed or considered as martyr.
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