Jammu, Oct 14, KNT: The Supreme Court is set to hear a plea today regarding the contentious issue of nomination of five MLAs by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the petition, filed by former MLC and Senior Congress Leader Ravinder Sharma, will be argued by Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
The nomination of five MLAs has sparked controversy, with the Congress party alleging that the Lieutenant Governor’s move is an assault on democracy and the fundamental principles of the Constitution.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, grants the Lieutenant Governor the authority to nominate two members to the Legislative Assembly to represent women, while an amendment in 2023 added three more nominated members – two Kashmiri Pandits and one representative from Pakistan-controlled Jammu and Kashmir.
Ravinder Sharma’s petition challenges the Lieutenant Governor’s power to nominate members before government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that this would unfairly shift the balance of power in the assembly. The Congress party has objected to this nomination, stating that it undermines democratic principles.
The Supreme Court’s decision on this matter will have significant implications for the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pertinently, Ravinder Sharma is the son of former Congress stalwart Madan Lal Sharma. [KNT]
