National Conference files objections on delimitation, says it violates constitutional norms

New Delhi, February 14

Contending that the Reorganisation of J&K Act is “constitutionally suspect”, the National Conference (NC) on Monday questioned the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission, especially its rationale behind increasing six seats in the Jammu division as against one in the Kashmir region, and claimed that they are in violation of laid down norms.

In its 14-page reply to the commission, the NC maintained that there were question marks over the constitutional propriety of the panel especially when the party along with several others had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Centre’s August 5, 2019 action of revoking the special status and bifurcating the erstwhile state into Ladakh and J&K.

The three NC Lok Sabha members — Farooq Abdullah, Justice Hasnain Masoodi (retd) and Akbar Lone — had participated in the second meeting of the Delimitation Commission, headed by Justice Ranjana Desai (retd), held in December last year.

Masoodi handed over the party’s reply at the commission’s secretariat located in a hotel on Monday. The party said the formation of the commission is linked to the Reorganisation Act of J&K 2019 which was under judicial scrutiny and the Supreme Court is yet to deliver its order. The party said the principle of constitution propriety demands that such a law should not be implemented and all the limbs of the state and their institutions should, out of deference to the top constitutional court, desist from implementing such law till its constitutionality is determined.— PTI

Matter sub judice

The NC says there are question marks over the constitutional propriety of the panel, especially when the Supreme Court has been approached challenging the revocation of J&K’s special status.

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