Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration, on Sunday, lifted the suspension of Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, a political science lecturer who had appeared before the Supreme Court to argue against the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.
Bhat's suspension came to light when the Supreme Court was hearing petitions challenging the central government's decision to revoke Article 370 in 2019. The Supreme Court was trying to find a connection between his court appearance and the suspension, indicating that it might be if such was the case, it would be considered “retribution”.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration decided to revoke the suspension order on Sunday, asking Bhat to “report back for his original place of posting”. The decision comes just a day before the central government concludes its argument in the Article 370 case before the Supreme Court, a report said.
Last week, the Supreme Court had asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to consult with the Lieutenant Governor regarding the suspension of the lecturer, which took place shortly after his appearance before the five-judge Constitution bench. During his court appearance, Bhat, who also holds a law degree, argued against the 2019 decision to remove Jammu and Kashmir's special status and divide it into two Union territories. Following this, the Jammu and Kashmir Education Department suspended him, citing violations of civil service regulations, government employee conduct rules, and leave rules.
Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal had raised the issue in the Supreme Court, leading the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to ask Attorney General R Venkataramani to investigate and discuss it with the Lt Governor. He argued that Bhat's teaching of politics in Jammu and Kashmir had become challenging since the 2019 changes, as his students were raising questions about democracy, said in a report.
