NGO questions govt move to defend Article 370
On the eve of the 68th Accession Day, We The Citizens, a Delhi-based NGO, which has challenged constitutional validity of Article 35 (A), has questioned the Jammu and Kashmir Government’s logic behind defending the law.
The NGO claimed the Article had “deprived” the state people of their “genuine fundamental rights”.
“Since August 16, 2014, when our PIL on the abrogation of Article 35 (A) was accepted by the Supreme Court, at least seven notices have been given to both the Centre and state government, but J&K has not given any reply,” Sandeep Kulkarni, NGO president, said.
The NGO’s office-bearers are in Jammu to educate people about developments in the much-publicised PIL against Article 35 (A).
“Our petition had come up before a Bench of Justice HL Dattu and SA Bobde in August 2014, but since then both the J&K Government and the Centre have been delaying filing response to it, thus avoiding to take a stand on the petition,” Kulkarni said.
Article 35-A of May 14, 1954, bars all the Indians— other than the original inhabitants of the state—from acquiring immovable property anywhere in J&K, obtaining jobs under the J&K Government, settling in the state and availing the state-sponsored scholarship schemes.
