National Editor of The Hindu Suhasini Haidar tried to spread misleading information by suggesting that politicians can visit Jammu and Kashmir with permission from the Supreme Court. Referring to the news saying that the apex court has allowed Sitaram Yechury to visit Srinagar to meet an ailing party colleague, she asked on Twitter whether other politicians, who were recently sent back from Srinagar airport, also can get such permission from the court.
Will all politicians who have been sent back from Srinagar airport similiarly ask the SC for permission to visit the Valley?https://t.co/GxSxF6uDbW
— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) August 28, 2019
Today the Supreme Court of India allowed CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury to visit Srinagar to meet his friend and party colleague Yusuf Tarigami. Tarigami has been under detention after the government abrogated the article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, along with most politicians in the state.
Yechury had approached the apex court for permission to visit the state, where restrictive orders are in place to maintain law and order, to meet the party the MLA as he is unwell. While granting the approval, the court made it clear that it was only for the personal purpose of meeting Tarigami, and no other activities will be allowed. The court said that if it is found that Yechury is indulging in any other activity apart from meeting his colleague, it will be considered a violation of the court order.
Yechury was also a part of the delegation of opposition leaders who had travelled to Srinagar and were sent back from the airport recently. But this time he is visiting Srinagar for a different reason, and he can’t participate in any protest or meeting etc. This means other politicians will also have to come up with valid personal reasons to visit to convince the Supreme Court for permission. They can’t seek permission only to visit Jammu and Kashmir, and court has made it absolutely clear that politicians can’t indulge in any political activity.
By posing the question, Suhasini Haidar tried to imply that while the administration is preventing politicians from visiting the state, the Supreme Court is not against it, and if politicians approach the court, the court will grant such approvals. But the court has already made it clear that no political, or any other public activity will not be allowed. This means, even if someone like Rahul Gandhi tries to take SC permission, he may not be granted it by the court if he can’t show any non-political reason to visit the state.
After the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the situation is kept under control by the administration. Any kind of public meeting is not allowed, and prohibitory orders under section 144 are in place. While some journalists agree with government’s decision to maintain law and order, others want that politicians of opposition parties be allowed to visit the state, so that they can instigate people to protest against the decision, which will surely lead to serious law and order situation, as everyone knows that protests in the valley mean stone-pelting and other such violent activities.
