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Congress terms Supreme Court Kashmir order ‘historic’, BJP to study verdict
The BJP maintained that the Supreme Court order should be seen as a setback for those who opposed to the scrapping of Article 370.
The Congress dubbed the Supreme Court’s order on Kashmir as “historic” as the administration have been asked to publish all orders in force and any future orders under Section 144 and for suspension of telecom services including internet.
Hours after the SC order, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to tell the administration to review the restrictive orders imposed in the Union territory within seven days and said that the order is great step towards democracy and transparency.
He also took potshots at the NDA government for not allowing Indian politicians to visit Kashmir valley.
“I want to ask the PM [Narendra Modi] that why do you have so much affection with foreigners and why not with the people of India? Why don’t you allow us to visit Jammu and Kashmir? Why you do not have faith in us or the people of India? If people from outside India have the right to visit Jammu and Kashmir, why not us?” he asked.
The BJP maintained that the order should be seen as a setback for those who opposed to the scrapping of Article 370. BJP’s Rajya Sabha member GVL Narasimha Rao also said that “the government will study the Supreme Court’s verdict and act suitably”.
“The judgment is actually a setback to those who have opposed the revocation of Article 370 as unconstitutional and invalid and are now claiming vindication on only relaxation of restrictions. The MHA has been relaxing all restrictions on its own in any case and resumption of internet service too would have happened in due course,” Rao said.
The Congress alleged that due to ban on internet, trade is Jammu and Kashmir had taken a hit.
“They said that as far as people going to the hospitals are concerned and the internet is used for that purpose, you cannot stop people. On Section 144 again, I think it’s a historic judgment, they have clarified the law and they have said that Section 144 should be imposed on the basis of facts which are to the knowledge.
“Facts must be set out in the order itself so that the order can go up for judicial review. In this particular case, no facts were demonstrated in any of the orders under Section 144,” said Sibal.
The CPI(M), whose general secretary Sitaram Yechury managed to enter Kashmir valley under SC’s direction, maintained that the apex court made “significant comments on the curbs on civil liberties in Jammu and Kashmir” and it belies “the false claims of normalcy that the Central Government has been peddling to the country and the world.”
The Communist Party demanded that the central government remove all such restrictions and fully restore internet services.
It also wanted Section 144 to be lifted to ensure “the democratic rights of the people of Kashmir to freedom of speech and expression”.
