“As per arguments in Court, we already have won the case”: Muzaffar Shah ahead of SC’s verdict on Article 370

New Delhi [India]: Jammu and Kashmir Awami National Conference vice president Muzaffar Shah, one among the many petitioners in the Supreme Court challenging the abrogation of Article 370, on Monday said that as per the arguments in the apex court, “we have already won the case.”

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud will
decide whether the decision taken by the Centre on August 5, 2019, to abrogate the
provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution which conferred special status on the
erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was constitutionally valid.

“We expect the verdict according to the Constitution of the country. As CJI had said he is the first and last disciple of the Constitution. As per the arguments we have put in front of the Court, we already have won this case. Let’s see what happens now, Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh stand on the same page. Article 370 will have to come back to its shape. We are hopeful for the best and ready for the worst,” Shah said.

“You (Centre) revoked it by taking it to Parliament without the Jammu Kashmir Constituent Assembly. The whole world is watching this case today,” he added.

National Conference MP, Hasnain Masoodi said they “are hopeful that the decision will be in the favour of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.

“We are in favour of peace. The government did not answer our questions and only said that tourism has increased,” he said.

Security has been heightened in Srinagar ahead of the Supreme Court’s verdict on the batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

On September 5, the apex court reserved the judgement after hearing the arguments for 16 days.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing on behalf of the petitioners, had said that Article 370 was no longer a “temporary provision” and had assumed permanence post the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Central government had defended its decision to abolish Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that after the changes, street violence, which was engineered and orchestrated by terrorists and secessionist networks, has now become a thing of the past.

Since 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated, the entire region has witnessed an “unprecedented era of peace, progress and prosperity,” the Centre said.

Several petitions were filed in the top court, including those of private individuals, lawyers, activists, politicians and political parties challenging the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which splits Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

On August 5, 2019, the central government announced the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir granted under Article 370 and split the region into two union territories.