India's SC bench to hear petitions against Article 370 in October

HELD SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: Daytime restrictions in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir were on Saturday relaxed from all 105 police station jurisdictions in Kashmir on Saturday.

Restrictions were first imposed across the Kashmir on August 5 when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcate the state into two union territories, the international media reports. The restrictions were relaxed in phases from many parts of the IOK, as the situation improved with passage of time. "Day time restrictions have been relaxed from all 105 police station jurisdictions in Kashmir. It has been done after improvement in the situation," Dilbag Singh, DGP Jammu and Kashmir told ANI.

Earlier, national broadcaster DD news reported that "restrictions were lifted" from all 22 districts of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. On September 2, Jammu and Kashmir Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal said 90 per cent of the valley was free of daytime restrictions. Addressing a press conference, he said on the law and order front, out of 111 police stations in Kashmir, only 105 function or are territorial.

"Daytime restrictions have been fully lifted from 92 police stations, up from 81 last week", he said. The government asked the local establishments to open schools in the valley.

The shops and other establishments have been largely shut down in most areas since. However, authorities have been imposing restrictions in vulnerable areas of the Valley every Friday, apprehending that vested interests might exploit the large gatherings at big mosques and shrines to fuel protests. Most of the top level and second rung pro-freedom politicians have been taken into preventive custody, while mainstream leaders, including two former chief ministers — Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti — have been either detained or placed under house arrest.

Meanwhile, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court will hear several petitions in October challenging the challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the IOK into two union territories. A five-member bench of the court will hear petitions pertaining to abrogation of Article 370 in early October, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said while hearing a set of petitions.

The chief justice sent a notice to the federal government to respond to the petitions, international media reports.

The court directed the Modi government on September 16 to restore normalcy in the Indian Occupied Kashmir and restore the internet and other communications facilities in the area. During the hearing, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi expressed concern over reports from the IOK that people were finding it extremely difficult to approach courts in the valley. Gogoi said it was very very serious if people were unable to approach the high court.

"I will myself visit Srinagar," he said during the hearing in order to ease fears about the matter. However, the court stopped short of passing direct orders in the pleas regarding the curfew and communicators blackout in the occupied valley.