The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to urgently list a petition seeking the cancellation of the upcoming Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan.
The matter was raised before a bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi, with the lawyer pressing for immediate listing.
“What is the urgency? It’s a match, let it be. Match is this Sunday, what can be done?” the bench observed.
When the lawyer argued that the petition would become infructuous if not heard before Friday, the bench replied: “Match is this Sunday? What can we do about that? Let it be. Match should go on.”
The plea, filed by four law students led by Urvashi Jain, claimed that staging the game after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor sent a message “inconsistent with national dignity and public sentiment.”
India and Pakistan are scheduled to face off on September 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the 2025 Asia Cup.
“Cricket between nations is meant to show harmony and friendship. But after the Phalagam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, when our people died and our soldiers risked everything, playing with Pakistan sent the opposite message that while our soldiers sacrificing their lives, we are celebrating sports with the same country sheltering terrorists (sic),” the plea submitted.
The petitioners added, “It can also hurt the sentiments of the families of the victims who lost their lives at the hands of the Pakistani terrorist. The dignity of nation and security of citizens come before entertainment.”
The plea said a cricket match between the two countries was “detrimental to the national interests” and morale of the armed forces and the nation as a whole.
