The Supreme Court on Wednesday urged the people of Kashmir to “look to the future”, saying the Valley has gone through troubled times.
Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, leading a three-judge Bench, said orally, “Kashmir is blessed by nature but it has gone through troubled times. But we have to look to the future”.
The court highlighted the huge potential for tourism in the former State of Jammu and Kashmir, which was bifurcated and made a Union Territory last year through a parliamentary law after the abrogation on August 5 of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special rights to its people.
The court’s remarks came even as it agreed with the J&K administration’s promise that senior lawyer and J&K High Court Bar Association president Mian Abdul Qayoom would be released immediately from his nearly year-long detention.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta agreed with the court’s suggestion that Mr. Qayoom ought to remain in Delhi till August 7 and not issue any statement.
In an earlier hearing, the government informed that it would not detain Mr. Qayoom beyond August 6.
His detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) expires that day.
His lawyers, senior advocate Dushyant Dave and advocate Vrinda Grover, have been insisting on his immediate release. They had said his detention was illegal.
The court had asked the J&K administration to explain the basis for detaining the 73-year-old Qayoom for a year.
Justice Kaul had said during a hearing, “He is 73. We want to know on what basis you like to detain him in Tihar [jail]. His detention as per the order has already expired”.
His petition said he was taken to the Agra Jail without “prior intimation”.
On May 28, the J&K High Court rejected his habeas corpus petition to quash his “illegal and prolonged detention”.
