The Supreme Court on Monday referred a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir to its Constitution bench which will hear the matters from Tuesday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi referred the pleas, which also raised issues of alleged restrictions imposed on the movement of journalists in Kashmir as well as petitions claiming illegal detention of minors in the Valley, to its five-judge bench.

Vaiko plea

The Supreme Court has refused to further entertain Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko’s plea seeking production of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah before it and said the MDMK leader can challenge the detention order under the Public Safety Act.

“He (Abdullah) is under detention under the Public Safety Act,” a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi told Vaiko’s counsel.

The counsel questioned the conduct of Jammu and Kashmir administration and claimed that a few minutes before the scheduled hearing in the apex court on September 16, Abdullah was detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act.

The bench, also comprising Justices S.A. Bobde and S.A Nazeer, said the petitioner can challenge the detention order against Abdullah under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act before the appropriate authority.