‘What Does He Do, What Is His Link With J&K?’: SC Rejects Congress Supporter Tehseen Poonawalla’s Plea On Kashmir 

Congress supporter and businessman Tehseen Poonawala’s plea against communication blockades in Jammu and Kashmir was rejected by Supreme Court today (5 September), even as the court fixed for hearing on 16 September the pleas of the Kashmir Times Editor and others.

The court made it clear that he can only make his stand clear as an intervener in the petition filed by journalist Anuradha Bhasin. The court said he could raise his grievances during the hearing on 16 September as an intervener.

"What does he do? What are his antecedents? What is his link with J&K? Do you want us to ask all this?" remarked Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

Poonawalla took to Twitter and said what happened in the court was “unprecedented” and a “personal attack”. He said that “a group started a ruckus” in the court targeting his petition.

Poonawalla further said that “a lady then got up, no one knows who” and asked about his locus standi and “where was I in 90s when our Pandit fellow citizens suffered”. He clarified that the court gave him the permission to file an IA.

The Poonawalla brothers, Shehzad and Tehseen were often called “self-styled Congressmen”. Both had a bitter fallout after the former called the presidential elections of Congress party rigged and accepted a pat on the back from Prime Minister Modi.

Coming from a well-off Aga Khani Muslim family, Tehseen is married to Monicka Vadera, Robert Vadra’s cousin. Their wedding was attended by the Gandhi family in 2016.