SC likely to serve notice to Centre & ECI concerning J&K Assembly Elections: Harsh Dev

JKNPP leader Harsh Dev Singh said that he has filed a petition in the Supreme Court regarding the conduct of elections in Jammu and Kashmir which was heard by the Chief Justice of India today.

He said that a three-judge bench headed by Justice Chandrachud sat before which the matter was listed and separately opined that the people of J&K cannot be deprived of their rights for so long. He told that Panchayat elections are being held, local body elections are being held and there is talk of holding parliamentary elections, but there is no discussion about conducting assembly elections either from the Government of India or from the Election Commission.

He said that the BJP government at the Center does not want elections to be held in Jammu and Kashmir. Harsh Dev stated that the elections cannot be postponed on the basis of political expediency, and the election needs to be held in accordance with the law laid down in the Constitution and in the light of the Supreme Court judgments, which are being given from time to time over the issue of conduct of elections in various states.

He said that when the issue was heard, the Chief Justice of India and the three sitting judges discussed it and stated that they would serve notice to the Union of India and the Election Commission of India. Harsh Dev spoke that when this constitution bench will sit on July 11, there will be a hearing on other issues including Article 370; After this, all the parties will also get a chance to present their arguments.

With this petition, we have opened the doors for elections in Jammu and Kashmir and hope that elections will be held in J&K at the earliest, Harsh Dev added.