SRINAGAR: Even though the Gupkar Alliance has threatened to move Supreme Court if the draft proposal of six additional seats for Jammu and only one for Kashmir by the Delimitation Commission figures in its final report, People’s Conference chairman and former minister Sajjad Gani Lone has said that the Commission’s report is legally unchallengeable.
Talking to this daily, NC MP and Gupkar Alliance coordinator Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi said the alliance would be jointly moving Supreme Court if the draft proposal figures in the Commission’s final report.
On Monday, at its meeting with five associate members (3 NC MPs and 2 BJP MPs) from J&K, the Delimitation Commission proposed in its draft six additional seats for Jammu and one for Kashmir. It also proposed seven seats for SCs and nine for STs.
The delimitation exercise is being carried out under the 2011 census according to which Kashmir had a population of 6,888,475 (56.28%), while Jammu region had 5,350,811 (43.71%). “Our reasoning is, the delimitation exercise offends Constitutional values and ethics. Delimitation Commission organises powers under J&K Re-Organisation Act which is under challenge in Supreme Court. It is under judicial scrutiny,” Masoodi said.
He said in their letter to the Delimitation Commission on February 17, they had informed that the exercise is unconstitutional. “I told Commission head Justice (Retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai on Monday that it will be preempting the Supreme Court judgment and will be against the core Constitutional values.” People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Lone said the report cannot be challenged. “It cannot be legally challenged in a court of law,” he said.