Last Updated on December 11, 2023 at 6:26 pm
In the wake of Supreme Court directing the Government of India and Election Commission of India to hold Assembly elections in J&K before September 2024 in a historic verdict today, Harsh Dev Singh President JKNPP and former Minister, said that the petition filed by him in the Apex Court had finally drawn a verdict in favour of the restoration of democracy in the erstwhile state.
In a statement issued by the Panthers Party, he said that once again the Supreme Court of India by virtue of its august directions had provided political succor to the people of J&K where the “democracy was crushed, trampled and nearly brought to the end”.
He said in the month of May this year, a writ petition had been filed by him seeking early Assembly Elections in J&K in the Supreme Court with the prayer to the Apex Court to issue directions to the Union of India and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take immediate steps for restoration of democratic process and revival of peoples govt in the erstwhile State in consonance with the spirit of constitution and successive rulings of the top Court of the country. “He said that till date the democracy continued to be abused and outraged in J&K by the present rulers behaving as unquestionable despots and running the affairs of the govt for more than five years in J&K through their proxies. And when the people pressed for restoration of democratic govt, the helmsmen either issue a statement assuring early elections or silence the protagonists of democracy through the coercive apparatus of the state”.
Singh rued that Assembly elections were being delayed and denied and continued to be postponed for one reason or the other. Sometimes they were denied on the grounds of the security scenario, sometimes on the pretext of unfinished Delimitation exercise, sometimes on the grounds of Amar Nath Ji pilgrimage, while at other times by taking the plea of intense cold or hot weather conditions or heavy snowfall. “And while the constitution continued to be subverted by taking freakish excuses to deny Democracy to the people of J&K, the historic ruling of Supreme Court today calling for time bound restoration of democracy in the erstwhile State had come as a tight and crisp slap on the faces of those who had held the Indian Constitution hostage and violated it with impunity for their vested interests”, jubilant Singh said.
