Jammu & Kashmir admin suspends senior lecturer Zahoor Ahmad Bhat who opposed Article 370 abrogation before Supreme Court

The Jammu & Kashmir administration on Friday suspended the services of a senior lecturer of the School Education Department who reportedly appeared in the ongoing challenge to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution before the Supreme Court..“Pending enquiry into his conduct, Mr Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, Senior Lecturer, Political Science, presently posted at Government Higher Secondary School Jawahar Nagar Srinagar, is hereby placed under suspension with immediate effect for violation of provisions of J&K CSR, Jammu and Kashmir Government Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1971, J&K Leave Rules,” the order signed by the Principal Secretary of the School Education Department stated.Indian Express reported that Bhat was suspended from service after appearing in the ongoing case before the Constitution Bench..Bhat appeared as a petitioner-in-person in an interlocutory application in the Article 370 matter and argued before the Constitution Bench on August 23.“I teach Indian politics to students of Jammu & Kashmir and it is very embarrassing and difficult for people like me since 2019, when we teach this beautiful Constitution and beautiful democracy; when they will ask, are we really a democracy since August 2019? It is very difficult for us to answer,” Bhat said in the beginning of the arguments.He was soon interjected by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and asked to make specific arguments. In his written submissions, Bhat argued that Article 370 was the outcome of the Treaty of Instrument of Accession 1947 and the Delhi Agreement, and “can’t be abrogated by Unilateral legislation of one party/Parliament without the consent of another party/elected representatives of Jammu & Kashmir”..The administration of the Union Territory has ordered that Bhat will remain attached in the office of Director School Education, Jammu during the period of suspension. “It is hereby ordered that Ms. Subah, Joint Director, School Education, Jammu is appointed as inquiry officer, who shall conduct an in-depth inquiry in the conduct of the delinquent officer,” the department said in the order..[Read Order]