Azad seeks nod to visit J&K
NEW DELHI, Sept 15: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear tomorrow pleas challenging abrogation of provisions of Article 370 — which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, validity of imposition of President’s rule and the related restrictions imposed in the State.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde and S Abdul Nazeer will be also hearing a bunch of fresh petitions, including the one filed by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad seeking permission to visit his family members and relatives.
Azad, who had tried to visit the State twice after the abrogation of Article 370 provisions in Jammu and Kashmir but was sent back from the airport by the authorities, has sought a nod from the top court to visit his family members.
Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference party led by Sajjad Lone has also challenged the abrogation of provisions of Article 370 and the validity of the State Re-organization Bill.
Child right activists Enakshi Ganguly and Professor Shanta Sinha have also filed a plea against the alleged illegal detention of children in Jammu and Kashmir since the revocation of special status.
A plea of Rajya Sabha MP and MDMK founder Vaiko is also listed for hearing, in which he has sought a direction to the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir to produce former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, allegedly under detention following abrogation of Article 370, before the court.
In his plea, Vaiko has said that authorities should allow Abdullah to attend a “peaceful and democratic” annual conference, being organised in Chennai on September 15, on the occasion of birthday of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C N Annadurai.
The plea of CPI(M) Sitaram Yechury who had moved the Apex Court seeking to see his ailing party colleague Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami is also among the batch of petitions listed for hearing.
The top court had allowed him to pay a visit to Tarigami but with certain conditions and had granted him liberty to file a report on his return.
Meanwhile, Senior Congress leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has moved the Supreme Court seeking permission to visit his home state to enquire about the well being of his family members.
Azad said he has filed the petition in his personal capacity and it is apolitical.
The senior Congress leader has also sought a nod from the top court to visit his family members and relatives.
He had tried to visit the State after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status but was sent back from the airport by authorities.
On former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s statement supporting abrogation of provisions of Article 370 which was at variance with the party’s stand, Azad said, “A law has been made. The matter is not in the hands of politicians any more. The Supreme Court will decide”.
While the Congress had taken a strong position against the abrogation, Azad said the media should not analyse his petition pending before the top court.
“I have filed the petition in my personal capacity, not on behalf of the Congress. It has nothing do with politics and is based purely on humanitarian grounds. I tried thrice to go to my home state but was refused permission. Almost one-third of Kashmiri people are lakhs who do labour to earn their daily livelihood and nobody is bothered to know how are they surviving.
“I have expressed concern about the plight of those people on humanitarian basis, being a native, and as a member of Parliament from Jammu and Kashmir. It has been 42 days…What are they eating, drinking and how are they surviving, this is a question to the State Government, the Central Government and to the media as well,” he said.
In his petition before the top court, he has also sought permission to check on social conditions in the state after the clampdown imposed by the authorities in the aftermath of the revocation of provisions of Article 370. (PTI)
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