India’s chief justice to visit Srinagar to see if people are unable to approach high court
NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Monday said that he would personally visit Srinagar to see if people could not access the high court in the city because of the clampdown in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India Today reported.
He said this while hearing the petition filed by child rights activists Enakshi Ganguly and Professor Shanta Sinha. They have claimed that people in the Himalayan valley could not access the J&K High Court for over a month.
On August 5, the Indian government unilaterally revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which afforded autonomy the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Shortly before revoking Article 370, India deployed tens of thousands of additional troops to the Kashmir valley, imposed curfews on its residents, and severed communications to the region, including access to medical services, prevented families from contacting each other and disrupted the local economy.
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During the hearing, Ranjan Gogoi said it was a very serious statement. He asked if someone stopped them to access the high court. “I will myself visit Srinagar,” he maintained. Gogoi has sought a report from the J&K High Court chief justice to tell.
However, he also warned the petitioners of consequences if the report was contrary.
The India’s top court has also asked the government to restore normalcy in Kashmir as soon as possible.
“We are not passing any orders. We are saying restore keeping in mind national security. We have said all facilities should be restored keeping in mind national security. We are not carving out exceptions for any category,” the CJ said.
