NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India has allowed Ghulam Nabi Azad, a senior Congress leader, to pay a visit to the occupied Kashmir. However, the court forbids him from holding any political rally but allowed to interact with the local people.
The Congress leader has been asked to file a ground report on the situation in occupied Kashmir by the apex court.
Azad, the former J&K chief minister, can visit Srinagar, Jammu, Baramulla and Anantnag, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said.
He directed the chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court to submit a report on whether the high court is accessible for litigants or not.
Earlier in the day, the chief justice had said that he would visit occupied Kashmir, if needed, to check allegations of illegal detention of children by Indian forces in the valley.
Ranjan Gogoi, the chief justice, made these remarks while hearing a petition filed by Enakshi Ganguly, a child rights expert, and Professor Shanta Sinha, the first Chairperson of the National Commission for Child Rights (NCPCR) against illegal detention of children by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir since Aug 5 lockdown.
The petition also stated that children and teens aged between six and 18 years were facing hardships due to military lockdown in the valley.
The counsel for the petitioners replied that it was difficult to approach the local High Court in the valley due to lockdown, when the chief justice instructed him to consult the concerned court.
On Sunday, a petition against illegal detention of children by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir was filed in the Supreme Court.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed by Enakshi Ganguly, a child rights expert, and Professor Shanta Sinha, the first Chairperson of the National Commission for Child Rights (NCPCR).
There are reports suggesting violations which include loss of life and freedom. These are very serious and demand judicial review of the ground situation regarding children, the petition says.
Meanwhile, jails in the occupied Kashmir have ran out of capacity and now thousands of people detained without charges by Indian forces are being shifted via planes to other parts of the country.
Over 10,000 innocent people have been arrested by Indian forces over fears of unrest following the complete lockdown imposed in the valley on Aug 5.
India had abrogated Article 370 on August 5 withdrawing special status given to occupied Kashmir.
A local magistrate said last week that over 4,000 people had been arrested under the controversial Public Safety Act.
