No going back on Article 370: IAS officer Shah Faesal
What's the story
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shah Faesal on Tuesday said that Article 370—the constitutional provision that gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir—is a "thing of the past, and there is no going back."
His comments come days before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a batch of pleas related to the abrogation of Article 370.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Notably, Faesal was one of the petitioners who challenged the scrapping of Article 370.
A 2010-batch IAS official, Faesal, was detained after the provisions of Article 370 were repealed and the erstwhile state of J&K was bifurcated into two union territories in August 2019.
In January 2019, Faesal resigned from service and established a political organization.
However, the government didn't accept his resignation.
Comments
For many Kashmiris, Article 370 is thing of past: Faesal
In a tweet, Faesal wrote, "(Article) 370, for many Kashmiris like me, is a thing of the past. Jhelum and Ganga have merged in the great Indian Ocean for good. There is no going back. There is only marching forward."
Talking to ANI, he added that he had withdrawn his petition challenging the Presidential order to scrap Article 370 long back.
Twitter Post
Check Faesal's Twitter post
370, for many Kashmiris like me, is a thing of the past.
— Shah Faesal (@shahfaesal) July 4, 2023
Jhelum and Ganga have merged in the great Indian Ocean for good.
There is no going back. There is only marching forward. pic.twitter.com/3cgXRWSxW0
Background
Faesal withdraws from petition challenging Article 370 decision
In 2019, Faesal petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the Centre's decision to repeal Article 370.
Later, the government accepted Faesal's plea to rescind his resignation and reinstated him in April 2022, per PTI.
The same month, he petitioned the court to remove his name from the list of seven petitioners who had contested the repeal of Article 370.
Supreme Court
SC's Constitution Bench to hear petitions against Article 370 abrogation
A five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud will hear a batch of petitions contesting the decision on July 11, nearly four years after the government repealed Article 370, which granted J&K special status.
The bench will hear the petitions for issuing procedural directions, according to a notice posted on the Supreme Court's website on Monday.