Srinagar, March 19: The National Conference (NC) has fielded former Jammu and Kashmir High Court judge 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 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 tells reporters at party’s head office at Nawai-Subha in Srinagar.
On Oct 11, 2015, Justice Masoodi 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 Masoodi and Janak Raj Kotwal 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 said.
The NC is fielding party president Farooq Abdullah from the Srinagar-Budgam and senior leader and former Speaker of the Assembly Muhammad Akbar Lone from the Baramulla-Kupwara.
