01-07-2023 : Mehbooba Mufti, the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), made an appeal to Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud for an early hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. CJI Chandrachud was currently on a tour of Jammu and Kashmir, where he participated in the 19th All India Legal Services Authorities meeting in Srinagar and attended the foundation laying ceremony of the new high court complex in Jammu a day earlier.
Mehbooba Mufti warmly welcomed the CJI to Jammu and Kashmir and took the opportunity to remind him of the significance of Article 370. She emphasized the commitment of the people of the country to maintain the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, which was granted under the constitutional provision when the Muslim-majority region willingly joined hands with India without any compulsion.
In her request, Mehbooba Mufti urged the CJI to expedite the hearing of the petitions related to Article 370 that have been pending in the Supreme Court for the past four years. Additionally, she drew attention to the plight of the people, especially the youth, who are languishing in jails both within and outside Jammu and Kashmir without any trial.
Welcome CJI to Kashmir. Article 370 – a constitutional commitment of this nation to the people of J&K was illegally revoked. This despite earlier SC rulings against its abrogation. Its been four years yet the matter is still pending before the honorable court.
Thousands of our…— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) June 30, 2023
It’s important to note that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), along with the National Conference (NC) and other parties in Jammu and Kashmir, vehemently opposed the scrapping of Article 370, which had provided the region with special status.
Mehbooba Mufti criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for unconstitutionally and illegally revoking Article 370 despite previous Supreme Court rulings. She cited cases filed by individuals such as Sampat Prakash in 1968, Vijayalaxmi Jha in 2018, and Prem Nath Kaul in 1959, where the Supreme Court reiterated that Article 370 should not be tampered with unless recommended by the Jammu and Kashmir constitutional assembly.
Mehbooba Mufti emphasized on social media the nation’s constitutional commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir through Article 370. She questioned why the region wasn’t being given the essential protections and rights stipulated in the Constitution. She expressed the hope that the Chief Justice’s visit to the area will bring more clarity to these urgent problems.