Please don't presume what SC will say on restoration of Article 370: Omar takes swipe at Prasad
Srinagar: National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah took a dig at Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday over his remarks that Article 370 of the Constitution will not be restored, and urged him not to presume what the Supreme Court judges would decide on the matter.
"Dear Ravi Shankar Prasad ji, we don't expect you to restore anything but unless you are suggesting the Supreme Court has surrendered its independence & takes dictation from you please don't presume to know what the Hon judges will decide," Abdullah wrote on Twitter.
Prasad, the Union law minister, on Saturday said the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 will not be restored.
The Supreme Court is hearing multiple petitions filed by several mainstream parties of Jammu and Kashmir, including the NC, against the Centre's August 5, 2019 decision to revoke the special status of the erstwhile state.
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NIA court to complete framing of charges against 2010 hand-chopping case accused on May 15
Kochi (PTI): A special court here will complete proceedings for framing charges against the prime accused in the 2010 hand-chopping case involving professor T J Joseph, in which PFI activists were accused of attacking him at Muvattupuzha.
Ernakulam Special Court for NIA cases judge P K Mohandas, on April 30, heard the arguments of counsel for accused Savad and Shafeer C and decided to proceed with framing charges against the duo.
A group chopped off Thodupuzha Newman College professor Joseph's right hand in July 2010, accusing him of religious blasphemy in a question paper he had prepared.
The case, later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), resulted in the conviction of 19 accused.
The first accused, Savad, who allegedly chopped off Joseph’s palm, was arrested in Berram in Mattannur, Kannur, in January 2024, where he had allegedly been hiding under the pseudonym Shajahan.
The NIA also arrested Shafeer, who allegedly arranged shelter and provided logistical support to Savad at Chakkad and Mattannur in Kannur since 2020.
On April 30, the court heard the counsel for the accused and the NIA prosecutor on framing charges against the duo.
"On going through the documents and evidence in the case and on hearing the counsel for the accused and the prosecutor, I am of the opinion that there are grounds for presuming that the first accused has committed offences punishable under provisions of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and that the second accused has committed offences punishable under the IPC and the UAPA, and there are materials for framing charges under these provisions against the accused," the court said.
The court directed that Savad be produced and Shafeer, who is on bail, appear before it on May 15 for recording their pleas as part of the charge-framing process.
After framing the charges, the court will schedule the trial in the case.
