THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 10 April 2020 (Prolonged injustice : On Mehbooba Mufti’s detention (The Hindu))

Prolonged injustice : On Mehbooba Mufti’s detention (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2:Polity 
Prelims level:Public Safety Act
Mains level:Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions

Context:

• It has been eight months since the Centre revoked the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir and downgraded and divided it into two Union Territories in August 2019. 
• Several political leaders imprisoned in the wake of the abrupt decision continue to be in detention even now, the most prominent among them being the former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. 
• Two other former CMs — Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah — were released last month. 

Public Safety Act:

• Freedom for Ms. Mufti is still not near, the administration indicated on Tuesday as it shifted her from a guesthouse-turned-jail to her official residence that has been designated as a subsidiary jail. 
• She will not be allowed to move out of here or receive visitors, and remains in detention under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA). 
• Hundreds of others including veteran Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Naeem Akhtar and IAS-officer-turned politician Shah Faesal continue to languish in jail. 
• The manner in which the Centre hollowed out Article 370 and dismantled a State set an inglorious precedent in the history of Indian federalism. 

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Incarceration: 

• Ms. Mufti’s home imprisonment, at a time when the entire population is expected to lock themselves up in their own homes, is the theatre of the absurd. 
• Her continuing incarceration even after two other former CMs have been freed is inexplicable. 
• What is it that makes her an exceptional suspect under the PSA? The change in the status of Jammu and Kashmir and the massive deployment of force to deal with its aftermath were spectacles of a new national resolve, according to the supporters of those decisions. 
• The unfolding tragedy of the pandemic bespeaks the pitfalls of lopsided priorities, by laying bare the country’s inadequate health-care infrastructure. 
• Jammu and Kashmir is badly hit by the disease, with a fightback restricted by the absence of an elected government. 

Conclusion:

• The havoc by the virus should not be used as a facade to trample upon civil rights or to criminalise expression of opinion. 
• If anything, this unprecedented crisis should spur fresh thinking on finding solutions to intractable political problems. 
• The BJP’s view on Kashmir is as old the party itself. But that by itself is no reason to avoid revisiting the issue. 
• The very least it can do, however, is to immediately free Ms. Mufti. That will be a good signal to the people of Jammu and Kashmir during these tough times.
• Mehbooba Mufti’s continued detention in Jammu and Kashmir is hard to defend morally and politically.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal, consider the following statements:
1. AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) has recently come out with a unique MHRD AICTE COVID-19 Student Helpline Portal to connect those who are willing to provide help with those who need help. 
2. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is the statutory body and a national-level council for technical education, under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer.......................

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Mains Questions:
Q.1)What do you mean by the Public Safety Act? What are the major objectives of it?