Post SC nod, Sitaram Yechury to visit Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday

After getting a green signal from the Supreme Court, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury will visit Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to meet his party colleague and former MLA Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, the Left party said.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Yechury to visit the state to meet Tarigami, who has been detained by the authorities there in the wake of the Centre abrogating provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded a special status to the state.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, however, directed Yechury to only meet Tarigami and not use the visit for any "political purpose".

The bench said if the Left leader indulged in any political activity, the authorities were free to report it to the apex court.

"The Supreme Court has ordered that Sitaram Yechury be permitted to visit Yusuf Tarigami in Kashmir. Accordingly Comrade Sitaram Yechury will travel to Srinagar tomorrow, August 29th. He will inform the authorities in J&K in the hope that at least this time they will facilitate the meeting," the party said.

It said Yechury will file an affidavit before the Supreme Court on his return.

"The Supreme Court has permitted me to go to Srinagar and see Com Yousuf Tarigami and "report" back to them on the condition of his health. Once I meet him, return and report to the Court, I will make a more detailed statement," Yechury tweeted.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader had made two attempts to visit Jammu and Kashmir this month -- once with Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja and another with a delegation of opposition party members. Both the times, he had to return from the Srinagar airport on the orders of the Jammu and Kashmir administration that cited security issues as the reason for denying them entry.

The CPI(M) had filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution, which says a person has the right to move the Supreme Court (and high courts also) for getting his fundamental rights protected.