Ghulam Nabi Azad’s plea among J&K petitions to be heard in SC today

Asked about his petition on Sunday at a press conference, Azad said: “My petition is non-political. It is my personal petition and not on behalf of the Congress party… It is on humanitarian grounds. I have expressed a concern as a citizen of the state and as an MP from the state.”

“I tried to visit the state three times but was sent back, twice from Srinagar and once from Jammu. Approximately one third of our people are labourers. They are daily-wage earners… Nobody has paid attention to them. It has been 42 days (since restrictions have been imposed). Do they have food to eat?… nobody has bothered about their plight. So I am raising a humanitarian issue… it is a humanitarian question for the state government, Central government, media and the entire country….”

On abrogation of the special status, since many of his party colleagues had backed it, he said the matter was no more in the hands of political parties now that a law had been made and the Supreme Court will decide the matter.

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Other petitions include one by Executive Editor of Kashmir Times, Anuradha Bhasin, who contended there was a “communication blackout” in J&K and that the daily has not been able to publish from Srinagar after restrictions were put in place following the Centre’s announcement.

On the last date of hearing, the Centre said many other newspapers were being published from Srinagar, and “our case is she (Bhasin) had consciously chosen not to publish”.

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The court will also hear Rajya Sabha MP and MDMK general secretary Vaiko’s Habeas Corpus plea seeking production of former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah, who he claimed was not being allowed to attend a seminar organised by him in Chennai.

It will also hear CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury’s plea regarding the detention of party leader Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami.

The court had directed that he be shifted to AIIMS Delhi.