Supreme Court Takes Up Hearing On Abrogation of Article 370 in J&K

The Supreme Court is hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the legality of the abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The hearing on the case by a five-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana, is reportedly underway.

A three-judge bench led by Justice Ramana had earlier declared on January 10, that access to internet was a integral to fundamental rights and asked the government to review all prohibitory orders in the valley.

The Supreme Court is likely to decide on the constitutionality of the decision to scrap Article 370. The petitioners had asked for the matter to be listed before a larger bench.

Meanwhile, the Centre's outreach programme with 36 ministers visiting the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir from January 18-24, continues. Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is scheduled to visit Srinagar on Tuesday. Ten other ministers are also set to visit Jammu on Tuesday.

However, the Centre's outreach has been criticised by the opposition as a toothless exercise which would serve no purpose. Congress leaders have pointed out that of the 59 places chosen for the visit of the 36 ministers, 51 are in Jammu and only eight places have been picked in Kashmir.

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member, Ghulam Nabi Azad remarked that the visit was only to inform the Parliament, which was due to be convened, that the Centre had indeed been reaching out to the people of the Valley.

On its part, the BJP says that the NDA ministers will meet local residents and apprise them of 'Naya Kashmir' and the development schemes taken up by the Union government.