The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday sought adjournment of hearing on Article 35A case in the Supreme Court of India, set on August 31st, owing to the forthcoming Panchayat and Municipal council elections.
The government’s standing counsel in the Supreme Court, Shoeb Alam circulated a plea for adjournment today. The letter was circulated among counsels representing different parties and also to the Apex Court registry.
The Supreme Court of India on Friday will hear a bunch of petitions challenging the Article 35-A, which bars outsiders from buying immovable property in the state.
According to the cause list released by the apex court registry, the case will be heard by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on August 31.
The case figures at serial number 18 among the cases listed on Friday.
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The Resistance Leaders have called for shutdown in the state on August 30 and 31 to protest the petitions calling for scrapping the article.
Meanwhile, earlier, the Supreme Court adjourned a fresh petition which challenged Article 35-A after an adjournment request was placed by the petitioner, Ashwani Upadhyay, a BJP leader and lawyer.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti held a meeting with members of the party to discuss future strategies for defending and safeguarding Article 35-A.
PDP chief spokesman Rafi Ahmad Mir said in a statement that the former chief minister held the meeting with party leaders, activists and legislators of central Kashmir and deliberated in detail over the present political scenario and reviewed the measures being taken to strengthen the party at the grass-roots.
“The meeting held detailed discussions over the party’s strategy to defend the Article 35-A and safeguarding of state’s unique position,” Mir said.
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Mir said Mehbooba chaired an important meet of party’s central Kashmir team at her official residence here in which besides the legislators and other party functionaries of district Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam, party’s vice president Abdul Rahman Veeri and general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura also participated.
Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former advocate general of Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffar Hussain Baig has flown to New Delhi to appear in the case challenging Article 35-A which is to be heard by the Supreme Court on August 31st.
A party spokesperson said Baig, who is also Member of Parliament, is considered as an authority on constitutional relationship of the State with Union of India. Baig will lead a team of lawyers on behalf of Peoples Democratic Party, that had filed an intervention plea through President Mehbooba Mufti last week.
