J&K’s accession can’t be questioned: Centre

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21

The Narendra Modi Government today took strong exception to the submission made before the Supreme Court by the Jammu and Kashmmir High Court Bar Association (Srinagar) which termed the accession of the state to India as “mysterious.”

“They want us to talk to those who are indulging in violence…And they are questioning the very accession of the state with India…They have described it as mysterious way of accession,” Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told a bench, headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar.

Kumar’s submission came after the J&K High Court Bar Association (Srinagar) president told the bench that the Centre had not taken any initiative to talk to militant groups in the Valley. Citing the statements of senior BJP leaders, including party chief Amit Shah, the Bar leader said unless the government took initiative, the Bar was not in a position to do anything.

Earlier, the government had told the top court in April: “We will talk to only those persons who are legally permitted to hold talks on behalf of people of Kashmir.”

Kumar said the bench had asked the Bar to talk to those involved in violence and suggest measures to check it but they didn’t have any suggestions.

The bench said, “Then we are ready to hear you and pass appropriate orders.”

The court is seized of a petition filed by the J&K High Court Bar Association (Srinagar) challenging an order of the HC dismissing their plea for a ban on the use of pellet guns.

The court fixed October 4 to hear both sides and finally decide the matter.

The Kashmir valley had descended into chaos due to violent protests that broke out after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016. The petitioner alleged that 50 people had died and 300 partially or totally blinded besides injuries caused to a large number of protesters by pellet guns used by security personnel.

According to the government, in 35 days between July 8 and August 11 last year, 3,777 policemen were injured and two of them died in mob violence. The number of attacks on the CRPF stood at 1,522 between July 8 and August 11, 2016.

Dialogue not possible unless violence stops: SC  

No meaningful dialogue is possible in Jammu and Kashmir unless violence stops in the strife-torn Valley, the Supreme Court said on Monday. “Talks with whom? No talks can take place unless the violence stops,” a bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said. The top court said there were “two ways to decide the case at hand. Either the parties sit together and find a solution”, or the court decides the case. It said the J&K HC Bar Association (Srinagar)  was a “responsible” and “respectable” body and it should help in finding a solution and fixed the plea for final hearing on October 4. PTI