J&K CPI(M) unit moves SC, supports Article 35A

NEW DELHI, July 31:
The CPI(M)’s Jammu and Kashmir unit today moved the Supreme Court in support of the Constitution’s Article 35A that empowers the State Assembly to define ‘permanent residents’ for bestowing special rights and privileges to them.
The Left party sought a nod to intervene in a pending writ petition through its State Committee member and Khulgam MLA Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami.
The apex court is already seized of PILs in the matter, including the one filed by NGO “We the Citizens” seeking quashing of the article, which confers special status to permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
The party, which is seeking intervention in the “We the Citizens” petition, said it is of the unequivocal opinion that Article 35 A, shall in “no circumstance be annulled, modified or repealed”.
“Further, the special status guaranteed to the State of Jammu and Kashmir under the Constitution of India, which has assumed the permanent feature of the Constitution, requires protection as any alteration would be against the policy of federalism envisaged by the framers of the Constitution,” the intervention application filed by the party said.
It sought direction from the court for intervention in the pending matter.
A batch of petitions challenging the Article 35A will come up for hearing on August 6.
On May 14, Attorney General K K Venugopal had informed the apex court that the Centre’s interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir is currently discussing with all stakeholders the “sensitive” issues relating to the challenge to Article 35A of the Constitution.
He had said an interlocutor, appointed by the Centre to hold talks with stakeholders to resolve the Kashmir issue, was discussing these issues and it was an “ongoing process”.
Several interlocutory petitions have been filed in support of Article 35A by various individuals and civil society groups seeking continuance of the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir Government through its standing counsel Shoeb Alam had referred to two judgments by the constitution bench of the apex court and said the issues raised in the pleas challenging Article 35A were covered by these verdicts.(PTI)