PDP chief Mehboob Mufti on Saturday (July 1) ‘reminded’ Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who is on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir, of Article 370 and urged him for an early hearing of a batch of petitions challenging its revocation from the Constitution in August 2019.
CJI Chandrachud is currently on a tour of J-K where he delivered an inaugural address on the second day 19th All India Legal Services Authorities meeting in Srinagar on Friday (June 30). He had also attended the foundation laying function of the new high court complex in Jammu a day before.
“We welcome CJI to Jammu and Kashmir and want to remind him of Article 370 and the commitment of the people of the country to maintain the special status (of J&K under the constitutional provision) when the Muslim majority region joined hands with India without any compulsion," Mehbooba said while speaking to the media here.
PDP chief seeks CJI's attention
Mehbooba sought the ‘attention’ of the CJI to the petitions which are pending in the Supreme Court.
“We want to invite the attention of the CJI to the petitions which are pending in the Supreme Court for the last four years and also towards the plight of people, especially the youth who are in jails within and outside J-K without any trial,” the former J-K chief minister said.
Since the revocation of Article 370 from the Constitution four years ago in August, the Opposition parties including the People's Democratic Party (PDP), National Conference (NC), and other parties in Jammu and Kasmir have opposed and objected to the move which scrapped the special status given to J-K.
Mehbooba alleged that the BJP revoked Article 370 ‘unconstitutionally and illegally’.
'Article 370 a constitutional commitment of this nation to people of Jammu and Kashmir'
“...despite several past rulings by the Supreme Court in the cases filed by Sampat Prakash (1968), VijayalaxmiJha (2018) and Prem Nath Kaul (1959), reiterating that the Article will not be touched unless J-K constitutional assembly recommends for the same,” she claimed.
Earlier, the PDP chief had claimed in a tweet that Article 370 is a constitutional commitment of this nation to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“…J&K acceded to India out of choice & not compulsion. Then why is it being deprived of basic fundamental rights & guarantees given by the Constitution itself? I earnestly hope your presence throws light upon these pressing issues,” she said.
In a significant move, the Centre had brought a Bill in the Parliament seeking to revoke Article 370 and 35A from the Constitution, a move which ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the then-state into two Union Territories.
(With PTI inputs)
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