Article 370 hearing in SC | CJI praises Sheikh Abdullah's ‘vision in 1951’

Srinagar: During the hearing on the Article 370 in the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud Tuesday praised a speech of National Conference (NC) founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah for his foresightedness.

The CJI intervened when senior lawyer Kapil Sibal left some portions of Abdullah’s speech in the constituent assembly unread, during the hearing against abrogation of Article 370 in the Supreme Court.

He himself read the speech and stated that Abdullah had a vision in 1951, which the world was talking about today.

Abdullah’s role as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir came as part of the argument during the hearing of the case.

The CJI while referring to Abdullah’s speech, termed him as visionary.

“Interestingly, see how Sheikh Abdullah puts it. He says the most powerful argument which can be advanced in Pakistan’s favour is that Pakistan is a Muslim state and a big majority of our people being Muslim, the state must accede to Pakistan,” he read from Sheikh Abdullah’s speech.

Quoting the speech, the CJI read: “This claim of being a Muslim state is only a camouflage – it’s a screen to dupe the common man so that he cannot see clearly that Pakistan is a feudal state in which a clique is trying by these methods to maintain itself in power”.

Praising Abdullah for his foresight, the CJI asked Kapil Sibal to look at the foresight of the speaker (Sheikh Abdullah).

“He had a vision in 1951 when he was speaking about economic interests, which the world is talking about today,” he said.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court resumed hearing pleas challenging abrogation of Article 370 on Tuesday.

The hearing of the case started last week. KNS