Violence from 1990 formidable reasons for Kashmir lockdown
Observes Indian Supreme Court
The Hindu, New Delhi
The Supreme Court yesterday found the governments statistics of thousands of instances of death, terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir from 1990 as formidable reasons leading to the August 5, 2019 lockdown that followed the withdrawal of the special rights and privileges of Kashmiri people with the reading down of Article 370. Attorney General KK Venugopal reeled out numbers in an effort to prove that the restrictions stopped the bloodshed in the Valley and there is no dearth of facilities for the ordinary Kashmiris.
The top law officer told a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi that since 1990, 41,866 persons have lost their lives in 71,038 terror incidents. This included 14,038 civilians; 5,292 security personnel and 22,536 terrorists. A terrible state of affairs... These are formidable reasons [for the lockdown]... These are security matters, Justice S.A. Bobde, on the Bench, said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that not a bullet has been fired after August 5.
Justice Bobde asked the government to file an affidavit with the details. The government was also asked to restore normalcy, keeping in mind national security.
The court asked petitioners like Kashmir Times editor Anuradha Bhasin to approach the Jammu and Kashmir High Court with local problems like lack of Internet and mobile connectivity.
This [lockdown] was done by the Union of India. Public transport is not functioning, there is no way to communicate. Only a few landlines work. Media freedom is crippled. This is the 43rd day, senior lawyer Vrinda Grover argued for Ms. Bhasin. Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde said the least the Kashmiris expected was that a child can go to school quietly and the mother is assured the child returns home safely.
The court further agreed to a request of senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to visit four districts - Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag and Jammu. Azad gave an undertaking to the court that he would not indulge in any political rallies while there. He is visiting to meet the daily wagers engaged in fruit trade, tourism and infrastructure in the four districts.
I want to go talk to them. They have suffered from the losses and wastage, senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, for Azad, submitted.
The court also issued notice to the government on a separate habeas corpus petition filed by Rajya Sabha member Vaiko to know the whereabouts of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
Vaikos counsel said Dr. Abdullah was believed to be under detention and there was no access to him. He was scheduled to visit Chennai on September 15 for a programme following the abrogation of Article 370 - in court and set him free.
Mehta said he would have to take instructions on Vaikos claims.
NDTV adds from New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah yesterday charged under the Public Safety Act (PSA) -- a stringent law that enables detention without trial for two yearson a day the Supreme Court took up a petition against his illegal detention.
The politician, 81, been charged with disturbing public order under the law, which means shorter detention of three months. He had so far been under unofficial house arrest at his home in Srinagar, which will now be designated his jail.
Hundreds of politicians including former chief ministers Omar Abdullah (Abdullahs son) and Mehbooba Mufti were detained or arrested last month as part of the centres attempts to prevent trouble over its decision to end special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370.
