Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday urged Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud to ensure an early hearing of the petitions on Article 370.
CJI Chandrachud is currently in J&K and on Friday he chaired the 19th All India Meet of the Legal Services Authorities in Srinagar.
The PDP chief Mufti reminded the CJI that a number of pleas against the abrogation of Article 370 are pending before the Supreme Court.
“We wholeheartedly welcome CJI to the beautiful valley and want to remind him of Article 370 and the commitment of the people of the country with the people of J&K to maintain the special status..,” Mehbooba told reporters in Srinagar.
She said that in 2019 BJP “unconstitutionally and undemocratically” abrogated the special status despite that there were several ruling by the Supreme Court that there can’t be any tinkering with it unless J&K Constitutional Assembly recommends for the same.
“.. Whatever they (BJP) did, it was wrong and illegal. We want to remind the Chief Justice that several petitions ( challenging Article 370) are pending in the Supreme Court for the last four years. … We urge CJI for an early hearing of these petitions,” she said.
On August 5, 2019, the Narendra Modi government abrogated the Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution of India and scrapped J&K’s special status. The state was also bifurcated into two Union Territories (UTs).
On Friday, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who addressed the legal meet
in Srinagar where CJI chaired the function, praised the Centre’s move to do away with the special constitutional position of J&K.
“In J&K, for almost seven decades, Article 370 prevented central legislations from benefiting a large section of society. It had also denied benefits of legitimate citizenship to a sizeable section of society. Abrogation of Article 370 ensured social equity and inclusive development,” the Lt Governor said.
He said the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A brought historic reforms and a new era in J&K.
UNI
