‘Idea of India on trial’, says Mehbooba Mufti on Article 370 hearing

New Delhi, Aug 16: Former J&K chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said that the “idea of India was on trial”. She was referring to the Supreme Court hearing the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370.

Ms Mufti said she was very happy that Supreme Court will be hearing this (petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370).

“It is not just a legal issue for me, it is an emotional issue for the people of J&K. We are extremely thankful to the lawyers for giving voice to the voiceless people of J&K,” she said, as per news agency ANI.

Ms Mufti said that the arguments going on in the SC have “exposed” the ruling party BJP that has “misused their majority in the Parliament to subvert the Indian Constitution.”

She said: “They have taken away the special status of the people of J&K. It is the idea of India that is on trial today. It is the Constitution of the country, the judicial system, the democratic system is on trial today…”

Several petitions challenging the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which split the erstwhile State into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — were referred to a Constitution Bench in 2019.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant is hearing the matter.