- The court has fixed July 27 as the deadline for filing written arguments.
- Removal of Article 370 gave Indians the right to acquire land IIOJK.
- The bench appoints lawyers on behalf of the petitioners and the government.
The Supreme Court of India has decided to hear a set of petitions against the abrogation of Article 370, which grants special status to Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK), local media reported on Tuesday, August 2 from on a daily basis.
On August 5, 2019, The Government of India led by the Bharatiya Janata Party passed a Presidential Order to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution.
This move gave Indian citizens the right to acquire land in the occupied territory and to settle there permanently. In addition, it also ended the ban on the Indian Parliament to enact laws in the state except in matters of defence, foreign affairs and communications.
Dubbed an attempt to illegally change the demography in the Muslim-majority region, the move drew an uproar from Kashmiris and international rights organizations and critics.
Several petitions were filed by private individuals, lawyers, activists and political parties questioning the constitutional validity of the Indian government’s move.
A five-judge bench heard the plea and fixed July 27 as the deadline for filing written submissions and submissions by various parties.
The report quoted the Indian top court as saying, “The hearing will begin at 10:30 am on August 2 and then proceed on a day-to-day basis.”
The court will ‘daily’ hear the petitions except on Mondays and Fridays, which are designated for processing miscellaneous matters in the top court.
It added that in its order the Government of India had assured that the affidavit submitted on Monday “has no bearing on the constitutional issues raised in the petitions”. Indian Express where did it go.
The five-judge bench also appointed two lawyers, one for the petitioners and one for the government, to proceed with the matter.
