Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has asked government to give a fresh look to its last month’s order, withdrawing security to Congress district president for Shopian and asked it to reassess the threat perception faced by him.
On April 2, the government ordered withdrawal of security cover to Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, the Congress’s district president Shopian, and several other pro-Indian politicians besides those belong on Hurriyat Conference and like-minded people.
In his petition filed before the court, Bhat had submitted that he was provided security cover under Category ‘X-2’ for last seven years. However, April 2, state’s home department withdrew his security cover “notwithstanding the fact that such an act on their part would make his life susceptible.”
Bhat’s counsel stated that neither any notice nor was an opportunity of being heard was afforded to Bhat before passing order and that too without taking note of the fact he is under constant threat owing to his allegiance to mainstream politics, more particularly during campaigning of Parliamentary Elections. “The order as it relates to my client (Bhat) is liable to be quashed,” he said.
After giving “thoughtful consideration to the case,” a bench of Justice Tashi Rabstan said that “there is a meat in the case projected by petitioner (Bhat) in writ petition on hand, particularly given his political affiliation.”
Having said so, the court said, the government was required to give a “fresh look to order insofar as it relates to petitioner (Bhat) and reassess the threat perception that is and/or may be faced by him and accordingly, provide him the security cover.”
“In this regard petitioner shall move a representation to respondents within one week. On its receipt respondents shall accord consideration to the case of petitioner in light of averments made in writ petition and having regard to threat perception that he has projected therein, and pass appropriate orders thereon within one week thereafter,” the court added.
