IAS Officer Shah Faesal, Activist Shehla Rashid Withdraw Petitions Challenging Article 370 Scrapping

Shah Faesal, an IAS officer, and Shehla Rashid Shora, a former student leader at Jawaharlal Nehru University, have withdrawn their petitions challenging the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

A Constitution bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, allowed the withdrawal of the petitions filed by Faesal and Shora. The bench also directed that their names be removed from the list of petitioners.

In 2009, Shah Faesal made headlines by topping the civil services entrance exam by the Union Public Service Commission, becoming the first Kashmiri to achieve this feat.

After serving in various government positions, he resigned in 2019 to protest against the ongoing killings in Kashmir.

In a Facebook post, he accused the central government of marginalising Indian Muslims and undermining public institutions. Subsequently, he launched his own political party called Jammu and Kashmir Peoples' Movement.

Shehla Rashid gained prominence as the vice president of the students' union at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

She rose to prominence during the agitation demanding the release of student leaders, including Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, who were arrested on charges of sedition in 2016.

Kanhaiya Kumar is now a Congress leader, while Umar Khalid is in jail regarding a Delhi riots case.

Shehla Rashid later joined Shah Faesal's political party.

After the revocation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and the division of the state into two union territories, Faesal, along with other Kashmir leaders, was detained.

In August 2020, Faesal requested to be relieved as a party member from the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples' Movement, and Shehla Rashid also left the party.

In an attempt to return to government service, Faesal applied for reinstatement and withdrew his resignation last year. His application was successfully accepted.

In a recent tweet, Faesal declared that Article 370 is now a thing of the past.

He said, "370, for many Kashmiris like me, is a thing of the past. Jhelum and Ganga have merged in the great Indian Ocean for good. There is no going back. There is only marching forward."