The Supreme Court today began hearing petitions against the government’s move to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The bench comprising of Justices NV Ramana, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant has allowed the central government a period of 4 weeks to respond to the petitions and file counter-affidavits over the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the centre’s decision. The next hearing has been adjourned till November 14.
Ten different petitions filed by different petitioners were listed before the bench.
During the commencement of the hearing over the restoration of communication and internet services in Jammu and Kashmir, the SC bench reportedly refused to entertain petitions seeking restoration of internet services in the valley. The Supreme Court asked the petitioners to approach the Jammu and Kashmir High Court instead which, it asserted, is fully functional.
The SC stated that personal liberty will have to be balanced against the issue of national security. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that the nation will be flooded with fake news from across the border if internet services were restored in Jammu and Kashmir as of now. A three-judge bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, NV Ramana and R Subhash Reddy was hearing the petition by the editor of Kashmir Times newspaper Anuradha Bhasin.
https://twitter.com/TimesNow/status/1178935141743222784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As per a report in Times Now, the SC bench has reprimanded the Lutyen’s lobby for their previous claims that the J and K HC has not been functional.
https://twitter.com/barandbench/status/1178928847883927552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Among the petitioners who are challenging the constitutional validity of the centre’s decision are advocate ML Sharma, JNU’s freelance activist Shehla Rashid, former IAS officer Shah Faesal, CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami, NC leader Mohammad Akbar Lone, Inder Salim, Farooq Ahmed Dhar, Shakir Shabir, Shoaib Qureshi and some others.