The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that the restrictions imposed in the Kashmir Valley will be lifted in the next few days, adding that the security agencies must be trusted as the ground situation is being reviewed daily.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the apex court that the “security agencies are taking daily stock of the situation”. “We know the ground reality.”
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi observed that there has been some improvement in the situation.
“We would like to give it a little time. I have read in the papers that landlines will be restored by evening,” Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi observed as quoted by Hindustan Times.
The court was hearing a plea by Kashmir journalist Anuradha Bhasin challenging restrictions on media in the Kashmir Valley in the wake of revocation of Article 370.
She had sought directions to restore all modes of communication, including mobile Internet and landline services, throughout the state to enable proper functioning of media.
KK Venugopal, lawyer for the Central Government, countered this by saying that restrictions have been eased in the Valley and the Kashmir Times has been publishing its edition from Jammu without any curbs.
He said that the petition appears to be a motivated plea and therefore they have jumped a gun to come to a conclusion and that there was a complete communication lockdown in the valley.
Solicitor General Mehta seconded Venugopal on the security situation in the valley.
Government sources quoted by ANI on Friday said that schools and other educational institutions will reopen in Kashmir valley from August 19 (Monday).
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday reprimanded advocate ML Sharma for filing a frivolous application opposing the Centre’s decision to revoke Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Ranjan Gogoi said: “Your petition is not maintainable. I tried reading it for half an hour but could not make sense of it.”
The CJI also pulled up Kashmiri advocate Shabir Shakil also for filing a similar defective application.
The bench during the hearing identified that petitions on Jammu and Kashmir had one or the other defect.
The top court adjourned the matter putting on the record that petitions were defective on the technical aspect.
The Supreme Court said it will take up the matter on media restrictions along with other related matters, without fixing a date for the next hearing.
Earlier on August 14, the J-K government had said that restrictions are being eased out in a phased manner in the Valley and the situation in the Jammu division has been restored to normal.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has directed Civil Secretariat, Srinagar and government offices to resume normal functioning from today.
Jammu and Kashmir was put under virtual curfew on 5 August when the Modi government scrapped Article 370 and split the state into two union territories.
The apex court had on Tuesday said the Central government required time to bring back normalcy in the Kashmir Valley as nothing can be done overnight.
A massive security build-up was witnessed in the valley with over 8000 additional paramilitary troops being airlifted to the state.