"Stakeholders May Seek Review Of Supreme Court's Article 370 Judgment": CPM Leader

CPM leader MY Tarigami on Thursday said various stakeholders are contemplating moving the Supreme Court with a review petition over its December 11 judgment that upheld the Centre's August 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution, which bestowed a special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

A review petition must be filed within 30 days from the judgment or order and placed before the same bench that had delivered the decision.

"The Supreme Court has the authority but as a citizen, I have my views too, according to the Constitution and guidelines of the Supreme Court. Our opinion is that the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have not received justice and all the stakeholders, including the petitioners (in the matter), are exploring options so that we can get justice," Mr Tarigami told reporters here.

He said consultations are on among the petitioners who had moved the top court challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and "we are contemplating filing a review petition within the timeframe".

Asked if they are planning to approach the court under the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration's (PAGD) banner, the Left leader said different parties and individuals had moved the court separately in the past and the same route could be taken again.

"The window is open and why should we believe that this window will not open with good news for us? When we first moved the court, some people expressed hopelessness. But as a student of politics, a human being and a citizen, we have to move forward in the direction where we can see a ray of hope and justice. The opportunity is there and we have to avail it, as suggested by several former Supreme Court judges," he said.

In an apparent reference to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, Mr Tarigami said misleading narratives are being built to justify the abrogation of Article 370, which was a "bridge between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country".

He alleged that the abrogation of Article 370 was not just an "ordinary mistake", but an "assault on the basic constitutional rights of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh".

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader also referred to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's statement at a function in Jammu on Tuesday that, had Article 370 remained in Jammu and Kashmir, the Anand Marriage Act would not have become a reality and said misleading narratives are persistently being propagated in order to convince people about the benefits of abrogating the special constitutional position of the erstwhile state.

"There has been a long list of amendments made to Article 370, allowing the application of central laws to Jammu and Kashmir. The passage of the GST Act in 2017 by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was one such instance in recent times," he said.

The former MLA said there were 42 Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) orders, extending the scope of central intervention, which were not envisaged at the time of the adoption of Article 370.

"Additionally, the extent of the misuse of Article 370 to encroach on the State's powers can be seen from one of the measures taken in July 1986, when the president issued an order under Article 370, extending Article 249 of the Constitution to the state. This empowered Parliament to legislate on matters on the State List on the basis of a resolution passed by the Rajya Sabha," he said.

"Pertinently, it received the approval from the centrally-appointed governor, Jagmohan. Such overriding of the State List is unique to Jammu and Kashmir and not applicable to other states," he added.

Mr Tarigami said a narrative is being built in the country that Jammu and Kashmir had to deal with terrorism due to the presence of Article 370 and that tourism has flourished in the region after its abrogation.

"Article 370 was a bridge between the Muslim-majority region and a secular India. I want to tell those who want to distort history and make false claims that terrorism raised its ugly head in the most peaceful region after governments were formed from Delhi and the trust of the people here was shattered. Tourism is nothing new for a region that received visitors from abroad in the past as well," he said.

The Left leader said a recent terror attack on the Army in Poonch and the subsequent alleged custodial killing of three civilians were "unfortunate" and asserted that terrorism cannot be defeated by creating lawlessness.

"Do not push people to the brink. Uphold their trust in the system. Create jobs for the unemployed youngsters," he said, questioning the claims of Jammu and Kashmir attracting massive investment after the abrogation of Article 370.

Mr Tarigami said the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the trading community, have lost their smile due to inflation and a lack of business opportunities.

He stressed that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are part of India and depriving them of their fundamental and constitutional rights is akin to making the country weak.

"We may differ on many points but we should stand and move together with a hope for a better future, which is possible only when our democratic institutions and the fundamental structures of the Constitution are strong and federalism is alive," the CPM leader said, requesting people to scuttle attempts by vested interests to divide them and pit them against each other.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)