Six petitioners, including former Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak and Major General Ashok Mehta (retd.), moved the Supreme Court on Saturday challenging the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Reorganisation Bill and the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to the state.
The petitions say the amendments struck at the heart of the principles on which the State of Jammu and Kashmir integrated into India, especially as they had no affirmation or sanction from the people of Jammu and Kashmir which, according to the petition, is a constitutional imperative as far as the State of J&K is concerned.
Radha Kumar, a former member of the Home Ministry's Group of Interlocutors for Jammu and Kashmir (2010-11) and Hindal Haidar Tyabji, a former IAS officer belonging to Jammu & Kashmir Cadre, were also among the petitioners.
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Air Vice-Marshal Kapil Kak (Retd), who was also the Deputy Director of Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Major General (Retd) Ashok Kumar Mehta, Amitabha Pande, former member of Punjab Cadre of IAS and Gopal Pillai - former IAS officer of Kerala cadre who retired as Union Home Secretary in 2011 have approached the apex Court.
The Centre had on August 5 scrapped Article 370 through a Presidential order and moved the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill bifurcating the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The state has been in the lockdown for over two weeks, with no telecommunication services. Politicians, including former CMs Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, have been under house arrest. On Saturday, restrictions were lifted partially on the movement of people in the city, and a handful of landline services were also restored.
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(With inputs from ANI)
