NEW DELHI: A five-judge bench of India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the government four weeks to file its response to a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of occupied Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of Constitution, reported Indian media.
The SC also placed an embargo on the filing of any fresh writ petition challenging constitutional validity on abrogation of Article 370.
The bench will take up the matter on November 14. The BharatiyaJanata Party-led government stripped occupied Kashmir of its autonomy on August 5 while placing the valley under lockdown and arresting Kashmiri leaders in a bid to prevent protests against the move. On October 5, the lockdown will have been in place for two months. The pleas have challenged the communication blockade in occupied Kashmir, the illegal detention of children, and the impact of restrictions on healthcare.
The Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice NV Ramana, allowed the government and the occupied Jammu and Kashmir administration to file counter-affidavits on petitions challenging the scrapping of Article 370. The top court refused the plea of petitioners that not more than two weeks be given, said The Hindu.–Agencies
