National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Monday said he was “disappointed but not disheartened” by the Supreme Court upholding the abrogation of Article 370.
“Disappointed but not disheartened. The struggle will continue. It took the BJP decades to reach here. We are also prepared for the long haul,” he wrote in a post on X.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said the people of Jammu and Kashmir are not going to lose hope or give up. “Our fight for honour and dignity will continue regardless. This isn’t the end of the road for us.” she said.
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the 2019 presidential order scrapping the special status granted by way of Article 370 of the Constitution to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
A five-judge Constitution Bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said, “The exercise of power by the President under Article 370(1)(d) to issue CO 272 is not mala fide. The President in exercise of power under Article 370(3) can unilaterally issue a notification that Article 370 ceases to exist”.
Reacting to the verdict, Peoples Conference leader Sajad Lone said, “The Supreme Court verdict on Article 370 is disappointing. Justice yet again eludes the people of J and K. Article 370 may have been legally obliterated but will always remain a part of our political aspirations.
“In the case of statehood, the Supreme Court sidestepped even commenting on it, thus protecting the entire country from any future misuse, by citing precedence. Yet the same misuse was subtly endorsed in J&K. Let us hope at a future date Justice wakes up from its slumber of pretence,” he said.
Vikramaditya Singh, the grandson of the last ruler of J-K Maharaja Hari Singh, who signed the instrument of accession with India, reacted, “I wholeheartedly welcome the decision of the Supreme Court upholding the constitutional validity of abrogation of Article 370. It reflects the culmination of the ongoing process of integration over 70 years. Soon we can expect the statehood of J-K to be restored and elections held.”
Just before the SC pronounced the verdict, Omar and Mehbooba Mufti claimed that they have been put under house arrest. They also posted pictures of the gates of their houses locked on social media.
However, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha denied the allegations and said no one has been detained.
“Dear Mr LG these chains that have been put on my gate have not been put by me so why are you denying what your police force has done. It’s also possible you don’t even know what your police is doing? Which one is it? Are you being dishonest or is your police acting independent of you?” Omar wrote on X.
“Even before Supreme Court judgment is pronounced, Police has sealed the doors of the residence of PDP President @MehboobaMufti and put her under illegal house arrest,” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said in a post.