Tribune News Service

Jammu/New Delhi, September 30

In a key development, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday decided to reopen all government and private higher secondary schools in the Valley on October 3 while the colleges would reopen from October 9.

The announcement came on the eve of a crucial hearing in the Supreme Court on challenge mounted to the legal validity of the Centre’s abrogation of the provision of Article 370, which gave special status to J&K. A five-judge Constitution Bench is all set to commence on Tuesday the hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the scrapping of provisions of Article 370.

Chairing a meeting of senior officials in Srinagar, Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan directed all deputy commissioners and officers concerned to ensure all educational institutions up to higher secondary level and colleges — shut since August 5 — were reopened, a spokesperson said.

Khan also directed the officials to hold parent-teacher meetings tomorrow in all schools to finalise modalities for their reopening. During the meeting, it was informed that medical and dental colleges were already functioning smoothly and their students were appearing in examination without any inconvenience.

Meanwhile, a Bench headed by the CJI, which on Monday dealt with other related petitions concerning the issues arising after the constitutional changes were brought in J&K, said all such matters would now be adjudicated upon by a Bench headed by Justice NV Ramana. (With PTI inputs)

Vaiko plea on Farooq turned down

New Delhi: The SC on Monday refused to entertain further the plea of Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko seeking production of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah before it. The SC said the MDMK leader could, however, challenge the order detaining the former CM under the Public Safety Act. pti