The Supreme Court of India will start hearing on the petitions filed for the termination of the special status of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir from July 11.
In the notification issued by the Supreme Court of India, it was said that the 5-member bench hearing the case consists of Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachad, Justice Sajne Kushan Kaul, Justice Sajneo Khanna, Justice BR Givai and Justice Surya Kant.
According to a Hindustan Times report, more than 20 petitions filed in the Supreme Court have questioned the constitutionality of the Indian government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in August 2019.
The report stated that the petitioner claimed that the decision was taken in violation of constitutional provisions.
The petitioners had also applied for an urgent hearing on February 17 and the Chief Justice of India had agreed to give a specific date for the hearing, The Hindu reported.
The case regarding Article 370 has been pending in the Supreme Court for 2 years and has not been rescheduled after the 5-judge bench refused to refer it to a larger bench in March 2020, the report said.
The decision of the Indian Supreme Court was welcomed by the former Chief Ministers of Occupied Kashmir.
I hope the hearing will start very soon now,” Omar Abdullah tweeted.
Mehbooba Mufti expressed hope that justice will prevail and justice will be done for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that the decision of the Supreme Court on Article 370 remains intact that this clause can be abolished only if the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir proposes it.
On the other hand, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson for Occupied Jammu and Kashmir Altaf Thakur said that the Indian Parliament had abrogated Article 370 legally and those who want to take the matter to the courts can go. The way is open for them.
He told Indian news agency ANI that Article 370 is already dead and the men cannot be brought back.
It should be remembered that on August 5, 2019, India’s ruling party, the BJP, abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to Occupied Kashmir, under which people from other cities in India could acquire properties in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and have future residence. Permission has been obtained.
Due to Article 370, the Parliament of India had limited powers to enact laws in the state except for defence, foreign affairs and communications.
The BJP’s decision was criticized by the Kashmiri people, international organizations and critics of the Hindu nationalist ruling party as an attempt to re-identify the Muslim-majority region through Hindu settlers.
