The Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta began arguments for the government before the Supreme Court today in Anuradha Bhasin’s petition against the communication shutdown and movement restrictions in Kashmir. He started by arguing that what happened on 05 August 2019 was a conferment of rights on the people of Jammu and Kashmir rather than a restriction of rights. According to him, due to the abrogation of Article 370, the residents of Jammu and Kashmir can now take advantage of 106 people friendly laws. He criticized the petitioner and intervenors for painting a grim picture of the situation prevailing in Kashmir and cited certain facts and figures to demonstrate normalcy in the region. He finally submitted that the powers under Section 144, CrPC could be invoked pre-emptively in anticipation of public disorder and urged the Court to not scrutinize the orders too stringently.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://internetfreedom.in/government-says-judicial-review-of-severity-of-the-restrictions-in-kashmir-during-august-is-an-academic-exercise/