Pro-Pak slogan: NC leader Akbar Lone asked to declare he’s loyal to Constitution

Mohd Akbar Lone, who is leading the challenge against the revocation of Article 370, has been asked to file the affidavit by Tuesday. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Lone, conveyed this to a five-judge bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, emphasizing that Lone is a Member of Parliament and a citizen of India who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and accept India’s sovereignty.

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Earlier in the day, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the government, urged Mohd Akbar Lone to apologise for the ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogan he allegedly raised in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 2018. The government’s stance is that Mohd Akbar Lone should declare his loyalty to the Constitution and apologise for the incident.

On Supreme Court hearing on abrogation of Article 370 NC leader Omar Abdullah says, “The directions of the Supreme Court will be fulfilled in toto…The affidavit as required by the Chief Justice will be filed before the end of proceedings…It is important to go beyond what has happened in the Supreme Court today…Why something that was said in the assembly in 2018 has become an issue in the Supreme Court in 2023…The speaker was of the BJP, What action did they take against Mohammad Akbar Lone…Now they are raising the issue because the government is tensed…”

On September 1, a Kashmiri Pandit group raised questions about Mohd Akbar Lone’s credentials in the Supreme Court, asserting that he supports secessionist forces. An NGO called ‘Roots in Kashmir’ has also filed an intervention application, claiming that Lone is known for supporting secessionist elements in Jammu and Kashmir who favor Pakistan.

Updated: 04 Sep 2023, 05:51 PM IST