Petitioners File PIL in Supreme Court to Cancel India-Pakistan Match, to Avoid Sending a Wrong Message

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A large group of people in India is refusing to watch the India vs. Pakistan matches anymore, citing Pakistan-aided terror attacks in Pahalgam as the reason. Four petitioners, currently studying law, filed a PIL in the Supreme Court stressing, “Cricket is not above national interest.”


What was the Reason for Filing a PIL at SC?

Urvashi Jain and three other law students filed the PIL in the Supreme Court. These law students argued that playing a match against Pakistan, which sent terrorists across the border and killed Indian citizens in Pahalgam, does not align well with national dignity and public sentiment.

The petitioners said, “Cricket between nations is meant to show harmony and friendship,”  and argued, “But after the Pahalgam 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 are sacrificing their lives, we are celebrating sports with the same country sheltering terrorists.”

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According to them, allowing these matches could hurt the sentiments of the family members of the victims who lost their lives during the Pahalgam terror attack. They said, “The nation's dignity and citizens' security come before entertainment.”


What did the Supreme Court Say?

The Supreme Court refused this plea on Thursday. JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bhishnoi said that the match should go as planned, refusing the PIL filed by the law students.

The law students asked the SC to allow the Ministry of Youth Affairs to handle the National Sports Governance Act. They also argued that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should be under the control of the sports ministry. 

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Petitioners led by Urvashi Jain said, “It is high time that the BCCI was brought under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.” Furthermore, “Once the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, is implemented, BCCI will necessarily have to fall under the National Sports Board created under the Act.”

To sum up, the Supreme Court refused the PIL filed by the law students to cancel the upcoming match between India and Pakistan. The petitioners cited strong reasons to cancel the match and asked the SC to bring BCCI under the purview of the sports ministry.