5-judge SC bench will take up 370 case in Oct

New Delhi: A five-judge Constitution Bench will hear a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that accorded a special status to Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation in two Union territories — Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Issuing notices and seeking the Centre’s response to 14 petitions that challenged the abrogation of Article 370, a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S.A. Bobde and S. Abdul Nazeer said the matter will be heard by the Constitution Bench in the first week of October 2019.

While issuing notices to the Centre and seeking its response to a batch of petitions challenging the scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcating J&K into two UTs, the court brushed aside a plea by solicitor-general Tushar Mehta that the court may not issue notices as it has “cross-border repercussions”. Telling the court that he (solicitor-general) and the attorney-general are present and they take note of what the court has said, Mr Mehta urged the court not to issue notices as “other countries will take advantage of it”.

Describing the issue as “sensitive”, attorney-general  K.K. Venugopal told the court: “The issue of Article 370 has international and cross-border implications and whatever statements are made here are sent to the United Nations.”

At this, senior counsel Raju Ramachandran asked: “Does this mean that the Supreme Court of India will not do its duty?”

“We know our duties”, CJI Gogoi said, adding: “We have passed an order, we will not change it.”

The court also sought a response from the Centre and J&K on a plea by Kashmir Times executive editor Anuradha Bhasin on the communication blackout in the state affecting the freedom of the press.

In another case, the court permitted one Mohammad Aleem Syed to go to Anantnag to meet his parents.