Such statements only undermine OIC’s credibility, Ministry of External Affairs says
The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday (December 13, 2023) slammed the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for criticising the Supreme Court's verdict on Article 370, calling it "ill informed and ill intended".
 
The OIC expressed "concern" a day after India's Supreme Court unanimously upheld the 2019 Presidential order scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution. Calling the reversal of Article 370 "illegal and unilateral", the grouping demanded its recall.
 
"India rejects the statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on a judgement of the Indian Supreme Court. It is both ill informed and ill intended," MEA Official Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a strongly-worded response after media queries regarding the statement issued by the OIC Secretariat.
 
"That OIC does so at the behest of a serial violator of human rights and an unrepentant promoter of cross border terrorism makes its action even more questionable. Such statements only undermine OIC’s credibility," the MEA Spokesperson added, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.
 
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of India on Monday (December 11, 2023) upheld the Central government's decision of 2019 to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution which had conferred special status on the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. 
 
The government's decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution was upheld unanimously by a Constitution Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant on the ground that it was a temporary provision. 
 
"We hold that Article 370 is a temporary provision. It was introduced to serve transitional purposes, to provide for an interim arrangement until the Constituent Assembly of the State was formed and could take a decision on the legislative competence of the Union on matters other than the ones stipulated in the instrument of accession and to ratify the Constitution. Second, it was for a temporary purpose, an interim arrangement, in view of the special circumstances because of the war conditions in the State," the Court said.
 
Additionally, the Supreme Court also noted that the State of Jammu and Kashmir does not retain any element of sovereignty after the execution of the IoA (Instrument of Accession) and the issuance of the Proclamation dated November 25, 1949 by which the Constitution of India was adopted.