New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday referred a batch of petitions challenging the Centre’s abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and related issues to its Constitution bench which would commence hearing on them on Tuesday.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi referred the pleas, which have also raised matters such as alleged restrictions imposed on the movement of journalists in Kashmir and illegal detention of minors in the Valley, to a 5-judge bench of the apex court.
The bench will be headed by justice N V Ramana and also comprise justices S K Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant. Several petitions have been filed challenging the Centre’s decision abrogating Article 370 provisions and bifurcating the state into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The UTs will come into being on October 31.
The Petitions have been filed by the National Conference, the Sajjad Lone-led JK Peoples Conference and several other individuals, including the first plea filed by advocate M L Sharma.
The NC plea was filed by Lok Sabha MPs Mohammad Akbar Lone and Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi. Lone is a former speaker of the J&K Assembly and justice Masoodi a retired judge of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
In 2015, he had ruled that Article 370 was a permanent feature of the Constitution. Other pleas include the one filed by a group of former defence officers and bureaucrats.
They have also sought directions declaring the presidential orders of August 5 “unconstitutional, void and inoperative”. It was filed by
