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SC advocate takes up 1924 case with British govt

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December 26, 2005 21:05 IST

A Supreme Court advocate, who took up cudgels seeking redressal for comments made by two British judges in Lahore [Images] allegedly casting a slur on the Punjabi community in 1924, Monday said she was satisfied with the "correct" response of the UK government on the matter.

"The response of the British government has been very correct. I am satisfied with it," Advocate Sonia Raj Sood, who had already approached the Supreme Court in the matter, told reporters in New Delhi.

A petition on the issue was presented to the British government, she said claiming the same was signed by Punjabis worldwide, including those from Dubai, Australia and most of the religious and political Sikh leaders of UK and also political leaders of Pakistan settled in the UK.

Though there was no formal apology, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's office had in a letter maintained that the "Punjabi issue was inconsistent with the policies of the UK government and that the objectionable observations made by the two British judges have never been binding upon any of the courts in England [Images] and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland."

The letter further goes on to say that they appreciate the contribution made by the people of Indian and Pakistani origin living in the UK today, she said.

Sood, who has already filed a petition in the Pakistani Supreme Court said, "Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf [Images] met me personally and offered his support on the issue. There was a hearing on the matter in November."

"Though the supreme court had declined to admit my petition, it had stated, 'It is not the considered opinion against any particular community.' Thus though the remarks were not expunged, they have been overruled by a higher court," Sood said.


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