SC allows Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija to meet her in Kashmir following ex-CM's detention in the Valley

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter to meet her in Kashmir, where she is under detention following the abrogation of Article 370.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi allowed Iltija, Mufti’s daughter, to meet her after she submitted in the court that she has no problem in going to her Srinagar residence but has not been able to move out freely there.

The bench, also comprising Justices SA Bobde and SA Nazeer, noted that there was no problem in authorities permitting Iltija to travel from Chennai, where she is presently staying, to Srinagar to meet her mother. As far as moving around in other parts of Srinagar goes, Iltija can do so subject to the permission from district authorities, the bench said in its order. It also allowed Iltija’s plea to meet her mother in private.

In her petition, Iltija had submitted that she is concerned about her mother’s health as she has not met her for a month.

While advocate Nithya Ramakrishnan, making submission on behalf of Iltija, said that the latter was seeking access to her mother as she has not met her for a long time, Attorney General KK Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said Mehbooba’s mother Gulshan Ara and sister Rubaiya Sayeed were allowed to visit her on 29 August.

They met her again later with the permission of the district magistrate, the law officers said.

The solicitor general said the petition is not for the “ostensible purpose” but for other reasons. After a few minutes of deliberation, the bench said Iltija can be allowed to visit Srinagar and meet her mother since there is no impediment.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti was detained and shifted to a hut at Chashme Shahi near the governor’s residence Raj Bhavan in Srinagar, following the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019 in the Rajya Sabha and the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special powers to the state, via presidential order.

She was arrested along with hundreds of other politicians on 4 August as a measure to prevent any protests over the government’s decision to end this special status and split it into two union territories.

Iltija’s advocate Aakarsh Kamra said the relief she had sought in the petition was similar to what CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury was granted by the apex court on 28 August to meet his ailing party colleague Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami.

The apex court would on Thursday also peruse the affidavit filed by Yechury in a sealed cover about his visit and meeting with Tarigami on 29 August. The top court had allowed Yechury to visit and meet Tarigami under security with a condition that he would only discuss with him his health condition.

With inputs from PTI.