'Hopeful of getting justice', says Omar Abdullah as SC to start hearing pleas against abrogation of Article 370

As the Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of petitions challenging abrogation of Article 370 starting today, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said what happened on 5 August, 2019 was “unconstitutional and illegal” and hoped that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will get justice. Talking to news agency ANI on Wednesday, he said, “We are hopeful of getting justice. We are here on behalf of the people of Jammu and Kashmir with the hope that we can prove that what happened on August 5, 2019 was unconstitutional and illegal.”

#WATCH | "We are hopeful of getting justice. We are here on behalf of the people of J&K with the hope that we can prove that what happened on August 5, 2019 was unconstitutional and illegal," says National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, in Delhi.

Supreme Court will hear a… pic.twitter.com/pdckbZZ9oK

— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2023

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud-led five-judge constitution bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant, had on 11 July fixed 27 July as the deadline for filing written submissions and convenience compilations by different parties. The bench had said the hearing will be held on a day-to-day basis except on Mondays and Fridays, which are days for hearing miscellaneous matters in the apex court. Only fresh petitions are taken up on these days for admission hearing and regular matters are not heard. It had appointed two lawyers - one each from the petitioners’ and the government’s side - to prepare convenience compilation and file it before 27 July, and made it clear that after the said date no documents will be accepted. A convenience note gives the court a snapshot of the entire case to assist it in quickly appreciating the facts. It had said the Centre’s affidavit with regard to the conditions prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir after the August 5, 2019 notification repealing Article 370 will have no bearing on the constitutional issue to be adjudicated by the five-judge bench. On that day the Centre had stripped the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and bifurcated it into two union territories. Several petitions challenging abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which split the erstwhile state into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh- were referred to a Constitution bench in 2019. With inputs from agencies