The Supreme Court on Monday asked National Conference leader Mohd Akbar Lone to submit an affidavit affirming his allegiance to the Constitution of India and acknowledging the country’s sovereignty.
This comes in response to the controversy surrounding the ‘Pakistan zindabad’ slogan that he allegedly raised in the Jammu & Kashmir assembly in 2018.
Appearing for the National Conference Leader, Senior advocate Kapil Sibal informed the constitution bench led by CJI Chandrachud that Lone, the primary petitioner challenging the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, will submit the affidavit by Tuesday.
However, the senior advocate emphasized that Lone is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha and implied that this status inherently indicates his belief that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.
“He is an MP of Lok Sabha. He is a citizen of India and has sworn to his office under the Constitution. He accepts the sovereignty of India,” Sibal pointed out.
Earlier in the day, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, informed the bench that the government sought an apology from Lone for his ‘Pakistan zindabad’ slogan in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 2018. Mehta stated that Lone must declare his allegiance to the Constitution and issue an apology for raising the slogan during the legislative session.
On September 1, a Kashmiri Pandit group had raised questions about Lone’s credentials in the Supreme Court, alleging that he supported secessionist forces. This intervention application was filed by the NGO ‘Roots in Kashmir,’ claiming to represent a group of Kashmiri Pandit youths. The NGO sought to present additional documents and facts in the case and asserted that Lone was known as a “supporter of secessionist forces operating in Jammu and Kashmir, who advocate for Pakistan.”