Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the authorities to allow her to meet her mother, PTI reported. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister has been under house arrest since August 4, a day before the Centre’s declaration to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution.
Iltija Mufti in her petition said she was concerned about her mother’s health as she has not met her in a month. The petition will be taken up on Thursday by a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde and SA Nazeer.
Mufti’s advocate Aakarsh Kamra said they sought similar relief in the petition as the one granted to Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury last month by the top court to visit his ailing party colleague Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami in Srinagar.
The top court would on Thursday also examine the affidavit filed by Yechury in a sealed cover about his visit and meeting with Tarigami on August 29. Yechury’s visit came after the Supreme Court, which heard a batch of petitions challenging the Centre’s decisions, permitted him and a law student to travel to the state. The CPI(M) leader’s petition in the top court had challenged Tarigami’s detention.
Last month, Mehbooba Mufti’s mother Gulshan Mufti was also denied permission for a short meeting with her daughter.
On Independence Day, Iltija Mufti had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, questioning him about Centre’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. She had said that “Kashmiris have been caged like animals” while the rest of the country celebrated the day.
Iltija Mufti also asked under which law she had been detained in her home, especially since she was not affiliated to any political party. The former chief minister’s daughter has been under house arrest since August 5 at the family’s Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar.
On August 6, Iltija Mufti had called the Centre’s decisions “completely undemocratic”, and said her mother’s arrest was to “break her spirit”.
Several leaders in Jammu and Kashmir were put under house arrest after the state lost its special status. While there were no reports from former Chief Ministers Mufti and Omar Abdullah, leaders like Shah Faesal challenged their detainment in court.
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