The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Attorney General and the Solicitor General to look into the issue of the suspension of a Jammu and Kashmir education department lecturer who had argued before the top court in a matter related to the abrogation of Article 370.
The lecturer, Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, was suspended from his job by the Jammu and Kashmir administration after he had argued before the top court on August 24.
The Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, took note of the suspension and asked the Attorney General and the Solicitor General to look into the matter and ensure that Bhat is not harassed for having argued before the court.
The bench also asked the government to place all the materials related to Bhat’s suspension before the court.
Bhat had appeared in-person before the top court and argued against the Centre’s August 5, 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370.
He was removed from his place of posting in Srinagar and was attached to the office of the Director School Education, Jammu, while a senior official was appointed as an inquiry officer to conduct an in-depth inquiry into his conduct.
Bhat’s suspension has been met with criticism from several quarters, with many people calling it an attempt to intimidate and silence those who oppose the abrogation of Article 370.
The Supreme Court has asked the government to look into the matter and ensure that Bhat is not harassed for having argued before the court.
