NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the J&K government to take all steps to restore normalcy in Kashmir and ensure smooth access of public to healthcare facilities, public transports and educational institutions in the wake of the state’s special status being withdrawn.

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The court was hearing pleas relating to the August 5 decision to turn

into a dead letter and division of the state into two Union territories, coupled with imposition of restrictions on movement and political activity and a communication lockdown.

A bench of Chief Justice

and Justices SA Bobde and S Abdul Nazeer ordered, “The state of J&K keeping in mind the national interest and internal security, shall make all endeavours to ensure normal life is restored; people have access to healthcare facilities and schools, colleges and other educational institutions and public

and operate normally. All forms of communication... shall be normalised, if required on a selective basis, particularly for healthcare facilities.”

‘Valley would’ve been volatile without curbs’

The court asked the Centre and the state to file response affidavits to a host of petitions challenging the August 5 decision and the rationale behind clampdown on mobile phone and internet services in the Valley. The SC posted all petitions for further hearing on September 30.

Appearing for the Centre and J&K, respectively, attorney general KK Venugopal and solicitor general Tushar Mehta told the court that the spate of petitions questioning the rationale behind suspension of communications was surprising as none of them moved the SC or the HC in 2016 when, after Burhan Wani’s death in an encounter, the then state government suspended telecommunications services for three months.

While defending the imposition of curbs, the governments said curbs were being eased gradually. “If these steps had not been taken, there would have been an extremely volatile situation in the Valley. The policy decision taken and implemented on the ground should not be reversed by the SC so that Kashmir and the country do not face a long period of strife,” the law officers said.