Srinagar, Mar 19:
The National Conference (NC) has fielded former Jammu and Kashmir High Court judge Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi, known for his landmark judgement on Article 370, from the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency. The 65-year-old former judge, who retired from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in January 2016, is currently serving as the chairman of Selection-cum-Oversight Committee under the Juvenile Justice Act. “The party has decided to field Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi from the Anantnag-Pulwama parliamentary constituency,” NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar told reporters at party’s head office at Nawai-Subha here. In Oct 2015, Justice Masoodi had ruled that Article 370, granting special status to the state, is permanent. “Article 370 though titled as ‘Temporary Provision’ and included in Para XXI titled ‘Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions’ has assumed place of permanence in the Constitution,” a division bench of justices Hasnain Masoodi and Janak Raj Kotwal had ruled. “It is beyond amendment, repeal or abrogation, in as much as Constituent Assembly of the State before its dissolution did not recommend its Amendment or repeal,” the bench had added. Also, the NC parliamentary board had on Monday decided to field party president Farooq Abdullah from the Srinagar-Budgam constituency and senior leader and former Speaker of the state assembly Muhammad Akbar Lone from the Baramulla-Kupwara Lok Sabha constituency. The NC has not yet announced the candidates for the remaining three seats — two in the Jammu region and one in the Ladakh region of the state. The party is in talks with the Congress for an alliance and has left the decision on it to its president. “The parliamentary board of the party has authorised Abdullah to take a final decision on the alliance,” the NC general secretary said.
