Prove allegiance to Constitution: SC to Lone

The senior lawyer said he will not represent Lone if he does not file the affidavit

The Supreme Court Monday asked National Conference leader Mohammad Akbar Lone to file an affidavit swearing allegiance to the Constitution of India and accepting the country’s sovereignty, after the ‘Pakistan zindabad’ slogan that he allegedly raised in the Jammu & Kashmir assembly in 2018 kicked up a massive row.

Lone, the lead petitioner challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, will file the affidavit by Tuesday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal told a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.

The senior lawyer said he will not represent Lone if he does not file the affidavit. “He is an MP of Lok Sabha. He is citizen of India and sworn to his office by the Constitution. He accepts the sovereignty of India,” Sibal said.

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Lone has to also apologise for raising the slogan on the floor of the House, a law officer said. On September 1, a Kashmiri Pandit group had questioned the credentials of Lone, claiming he was a supporter of secessionist forces.

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