Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Monday hailed the judgment delivered by the Supreme Court on the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370.
Mehta said August 5, 2019 and today’s date will go down in the history of India when a Himalayan constitutional blunder of the past with gigantic proportion was ultimately corrected by the Government.
“Being the only lawyer involved in the process of abrogation of Article 370
through constitutional and legal means before 5th August, 2019 and having
led the arguments before the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court
while defending the constitutional process, it is a historical day for me too.
It is only the iron will of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and resolute decisiveness and brilliant strategy of Home
Minister Amit Shahji which made this historical decision possible. The
nation will ever remain indebted to them,” the Solicitor General said in a statement.
“I have had the good fortune of
witnessing and being a part of the entire process which exhibited their
exemplary resolve coupled with minute coordination of the smallest details
and flawless and scientific stewardship of the parliamentary process and
floor management inside the House.
The judicial adjudication by the Supreme Court is also equally historical and rare. A five-judge Constitution Bench decided the matter which consisted of all first five senior-most judges viz. Dr. Justice D.Y.
Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India, Justice S.K. Kaul, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Bhushan R. Gavai and Justice Surya Kant. A historical bench presided by the Chief Justice of India and also comprising of three future Chief Justices of India. All five are legendary judges who are undisputably intellectual giants. Very patient hearing given to all sides for more than three weeks. And today comes a judgment which will go down in the history of this great country exhibiting astounding scholarship, concern for rule of law and a visible concern for the
fundamental rights of equality of every resident of J&K irrespective of religion, sex, caste or creed.”
“The highest court of the country, the most powerful court in the world, has stood by the constitutional values and has
secured to all the residents of Jammu and Kashmir their legitimate rights
which they were deprived of since independence while taking care of
democratic election also.”
Mehta added, “Having extensively read the history behind insertion of Article 370 into our Constitution, I can confidently say that the soul of Sardar Patel will be fully contended today as the provision which he could not prevent from being
inserted in the Constitution of India has finally gone. He must be showering
his blessings upon Narendra Modiji and Amit Shahji. The speech of Amit Shahji in Parliament is as historical as the
Constituent Assembly debates and will go down in the history as one of the
few statesmanly speeches while shaping the sovereignty of India in more
than one ways.”