No change in Govt stand on Article 35A : Abdul Majeed Bhat
Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to defend State Govt at next hearing: Secy Law
With the new Governor taking over the affairs of the State, there would be no change in the State government’s stand on Article 35-A and it has hired the services of Additional Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta to defend the article at the next date of hearing of the petitions filed to challenge its validity in the Supreme Court.
Secretary Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Abdul Majeed Bhat said, “There will be no change in the government’s stand on petitions filed to challenge Article 35-A at the next date of hearing.”
Satya Paul Malik replaced Narinder Nath Vohra has the Governor of the State.
He said the State government would defend the Article 35-A and one more counsel Tushar Mehta, an incumbent Additional Solicitor General, had been engaged who would also appear to defend the article at the next date of hearing.
Clarifying that all the counsels engaged previously by the government before the imposition of Governor’s rule in the State would also continue to defend the government, Bhat said a detailed report to defend the case was in the process of finalization and would be ready for placement before the apex court if needed at the next date of hearing.
Article 35-A, incorporated in the constitution by a 1954 Presidential Order, accords special rights and privileges to the citizens of Jammu Kashmir and denies property rights to a woman who marries a person from outside the State.
Advocate General D C Raina also said the government would defend Article 35-A at the next date of hearing in the Supreme Court.
On the possibility of any change in the government stand after the new Governor took over the affairs of the State, Raina said, “No, there is no change in the government stand and I too haven’t received any fresh instructions from the government over its stand.”
Former Law Minister and senior PDP leader Abdul Haq Khan recently said that the previous government led by Mehbooba Mufti had engaged three top lawyers of the country for defending Article 35-A and paid them the counseling fee of Rs 1 crore.
