SRINAGAR: The suspension of a lawyer-teacher who pleaded his own petition on Article 370 before the Supreme Court was discussed in the Constitution Bench on Monday. The top government lawyers were told to brief the court about the suspension that took place within a few days after he appeared before the court.
In Srinagar, however, two former Chief Ministers reacted to the development.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg. Since the illegal abrogation of Article 370, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have to choose,” Mehbooba Mufti wrote in a tweet. “Either be mute spectators and watch their livelihood, jobs and land being snatched or face the music for raising their voice. It’s a Hobson’s choice laden with deadly consequences. Every Kashmiri can’t afford to knock on the doors of the SC.”
Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, who had appeared as a party opposing the abrogation of Article 370, was abruptly suspended from his position as a Senior Lecturer in Srinagar. He has been relocated to the office of the Director of School Education in Jammu. In addition, a high-ranking officer has been designated to conduct a thorough inquiry into Bhat’s conduct.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal took the issue of Zahoor Ahmad Bhat’s suspension to the Supreme Court, prompting the court to direct Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to examine the matter. This move demonstrates the national attention and legal weight that the suspension has garnered.
“Grateful to Kapil Sibal for raising the issue of Zahoor Bhat in the Supreme Court,” former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah wrote on Twitter. “Zahoor is a lecturer who was suspended immediately after he returned to the valley having argued his petition in front of the Constitution Bench against the events of Aug 5, 2019.”
