Srinagar, Aug 22 : Nearly four decades after a bomb blast at an exhibition ground in Srinagar claimed the life of a 22-year-old mechanic, a local court has ordered the Jammu and Kashmir government to pay Rs 3.24 lakh in compensation to his family, along with interest.

The 2nd Additional District Judge, Srinagar, Swati Gupta, while pronouncing the judgment yesterday in the long-pending case, held the state vicariously liable for negligence in ensuring the safety of visitors at the exhibition where the blast occurred on October 13, 1985.

The victim, Avis Ahmed Shah, son of Mohammad Yousuf Shah of Safa Kadal, suffered fatal injuries in the explosion near ‘Radha Theatre’ inside the exhibition ground. He succumbed at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences the next day.
His family moved court saying that Shah was an innocent bystander and his death resulted from the negligence of the authorities who failed to enforce security measures.

The court observed that since the exhibition was organised and regulated by government agencies, including police deployment and collection of entry fees, the state had a constitutional obligation to protect the lives of citizens.

“If an agency or department of the Government has been enjoined the task of maintaining law and order and also security at a particular place where the public is expected to arrive in numbers and an entry fee to such public place is also being charged, then such agency or department cannot shirk away from its liability and responsibility to perform the enjoined or assigned task to completion and that too with full satisfaction,” the judgment said.

The Court awarded Rs 3.24 lakh as compensation with 8% annual interest from the date of institution of the suit (1986) until final payment. The government has been directed to release the amount within two months, failing which an additional 4% interest will apply.

The case, originally filed in 1986 by the victim’s father, Mohammad Yousuf Shah (now deceased), was pursued by his widow Khatija and the deceased’s siblings. The family argued that Avis, a trained mechanic earning Rs 700–800 a month, was the breadwinner for his aged parents and unmarried siblings.

While the state had denied negligence, the court noted that similar blasts had occurred at the time, placing greater responsibility on the administration to strengthen security.

Calling compensation not just restitution but a constitutional remedy, the court emphasized that the right to life under Article 21 imposes a duty on the state to safeguard citizens and support bereaved families in such tragedies.