PDP, NC welcome SC decision to hear pleas against abrogation of Article 370

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 4 : People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference's provincial President Ratan Lal Gupta on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to hear the pleas against the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories.

"Welcome Hon'ble SC's decision to finally hear petitions pending since 2019 challenging the illegal abrogation of Article 370. I hope justice is upheld & delivered for the people of J&K. The SC ruling on Article 370 maintained that the provision can be abrogated only on the recommendation of the J&K constituent assembly," Mehbooba Mufti wrote on Twitter.

National Conference Provincial President Ratan Lal Gupta said that the verdict should come out as soon as possible.

"We welcome this decision, there should be a hearing on this & a verdict must come as soon as possible...the way abrogation of Article 370 was done, was unconstitutional, therefore we filed numerous petitions in the Supreme Court...we have complete faith in judiciary...", said Ratan Lal Gupta, Provincial President, National Conference on upcoming Supreme Court hearing of a plea challenging abrogation of Article 370 while speaking to ANI.

The Supreme Court's five-judge Constitution bench will hear on July 11 a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant will hear the case on July 11.

The petitions which are pending since 2019 have not been taken up for hearing since March 2020.

Various petitions are pending before the top court challenging the validity of the law scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution and special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories.