J&K Peoples Conference has filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking early hearing of a batch of petitions, challenging the Centre’s move of revocation of Article 370.
The application has stated that the petitioners have a very strong prima facie case and the issues raised are being considered by a Constitution Bench of the Court.
"Notwithstanding the delay in the final hearing of these petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and the abrogation of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, and notwithstanding the prevailing pandemic conditions, sweeping changes are being brought about by the Centre that impact the rights of a large number of people, including dilution of the safeguards that were earlier available to the residents of the region,” the party spokesperson said in a statement.
“These changes will have an irreparable impact on the rights of the citizens of J&K, including creation of domicile rights and third-party rights in land ownership,” the petition said.
“The very purpose of the present proceedings will be severely undermined if the present petitions are not heard and disposed of urgently. Suffice to say that the locals still suffer as if under conquest without a full-fledged responsible government,” the statement said.
“In view of the foregoing, the present petition and the petitions tagged thereto ought to be heard and disposed of urgently as significant changes to the rights of the residents of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir have already been brought about by the Centre,” the statement read.
On August, 5, 2019, the BJP government at the Centre revoked Article 370 and Article 35A and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories-- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Ahead of the revocation of Article 370, nearly 8,000 people were detained in the state, including three former chief ministers, Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti and Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone.
After their release mainstream parties formed a coalition called-- Political Alliance for Gupkar Declaration under the leadership of Farooq Abdullah demanding the restoration of Article 370. Sajad Lone is the spokesperson for the Alliance.
