'Accept that J&K India's integral part': SC wants affidavit from NC leader Mohd Akbar Lone after raising Pro-Pak slogan
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\New Delhi, Sept 5: After raising pro-Pakistani slogans, the Supreme Court Monday asked National Conference leader Mohd Akbar Lone to file an affidavit swearing allegiance to the Constitution of India and accepting the country's sovereignty.
The court's direction is linked to the 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan that he allegedly chanted in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in 2018, triggering a massive political row.
This is Akbar Lone, National Conference Member of Parliament who screamed “Pakistan Zindabad” inside the J&K Assembly in 2018.
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) September 4, 2023
In 2019, during this interview he said that he stands by the slogan “Pakistan Zindabad” and won’t express any remorse or apology.
Supreme Court of… pic.twitter.com/7AUkAb7mpd
Lone, the lead petitioner challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, will file the affidavit today, senior advocate Kapil Sibal told a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.
"He is an MP of Lok Sabha. He is (a) citizen of India and sworn to his office by the Constitution. He accepts the sovereignty of India," Sibal said.
This matter came to light after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the top court on Monday that the central government wanted Lone to apologise for raising 'Pakistan zindabad' slogan in 2018 and to state that he owes allegiance to the Constitution.
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On September 1, a Kashmiri Pandit group had questioned in the top court the credentials of Lone, claiming he was a supporter of secessionist forces.
Notably, all members of Parliament have to take oaths swearing allegiance to the Constitution and to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India. Lone too took the oath of allegiance in June 2019, months after the 'Pakistan Zindabad' controversy, when he became a Lok Sabha MP.
But from 2002 to 2018, Lone was an MLA in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Under the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, which itself is at the centre of a legal debate now, members swore allegiance to the Constitution of the state and were bound by oath to "uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India". Jammu and Kashmir was the only state to have a separate Constitution. It was enacted on January 26, 1957 and abrogated by the President in August 2019.