'Majority of Kashmir valley never had faith in Constitution,' Kashmiri Pandits body moves SC for Article 370 dilution

A Kashmiri pandit organisation, Youth 4 Panun Kashmir, on Thursday filed a plea in the Supreme Court in support of the Centre’s 2019 decision to dilute Article 370 of the Constitution, contending majority of people in the valley never had faith in the Indian Constitution.

The plea claimed Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution became a major reason for eroding the sentiment of Indian identity within the Kashmir Valley.

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"The majority of Kashmir valley never had faith in the Indian Constitution and Article 370 and Article 35A of the Indian Constitution helped them in the separatist movement," it said.

The plea filed through advocate Siddharth Praveen Acharya sought a dismissal of all petitions challenging the vires of the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution of India and Jammu and Kashmir Re-Organization Act, 2019 and declare the decisions as valid and constitutional.

The petitioner also stated that they strongly felt that Article 370 and Article 35A were the biggest reason for the lack of psychological integration of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India and became a breeding ground for separatist ideas leading to the "ethnic cleansing of innocent Kashmiri Pandits".

The plea also asked the top court to recognise the atrocities committed against Kashmiri Pandits and the inaction of the central and state governments in this matter.

The petitioner sought to be heard when a five-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud begins hearing a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, from August 2.

The plea also stated the provision, by establishing a safeguarded entity within the constitutional framework, resulted into erosion of sovereignty, inequality among States, threat to national integration, among others.