The Supreme Court on Friday said that the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, will be listed after the Dussehra vacation. The matter was mentioned before Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit by Senior Advocate Prashanto Chandra Sen.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and justices Indira Banerjee and S Ravindra Bhat took note of the submissions of a counsel that the pleas were assured to be listed after the summer vacation but they could not be listed.
"We will certainly list that," a news agency reported while quoting the CJI. "Yes it will be listed after the Dussehra break," the CJI said.
The Court is closing for the Dussehra break on October 3 for a week. It will reopen on October 10. The plea mentioned today was filed by Dr. Radha Kumar, Gopal Krishna Pillai, Hindal Tyabji, Former Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, General Ashok Mehta, and Amitabha Pande.
Over 20 petitions are pending before Apex Court
More than 20 petitions are pending before the Apex court challenging the Central Government's August 5, 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution.
By abrogating the Article, the Centre had bifurcated the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories (UTs)- the Union Territory of Ladakh and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. The Peoples' Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD)-a constituent of four political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, has also challenged the abrogation of Article 370 in the Supreme Court.
On September 21, the convenor of PAGD Dr Farooq Abdullah expressed hope that the Supreme Court will soon hear the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370, and also vowed to continue politically the fight to restore the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
"We have approached the Supreme Court for the restoration of Article 370 and are hopeful that it will hear the petitions soon and we will get relief from this difficult situation," he stated.
Shah Faesal withdraws his petition
Deputy Secretary in the Union Ministry of Culture and an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Shah Faesal has withdrawn his petition from the Supreme Court challenging the Presidential order to amend some provisions of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.
Bureaucrat-turned-politician-turned-bureaucrat was among 23 petitioners who had challenged the Centre's decision to abrogate some provisions of Article 370 in 2019.
Shah Faesal's decision to withdraw the petition comes months after he was taken back into the Indian Administrative Service in April this year and appointed Deputy Secretary in the Union Ministry of Culture.
