No question of extending Article 371 to J&K, says Centre

The Central government does not intend to extend Article 371 of the Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.

"There is no question Article 371 is going to be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir," Singh said.

"There is nothing of that sort being contemplated at any level by the government of India and this disinformation is being planted by those whose illegitimate interests have been adversely affected by the abrogation of Article 370," he said.

Article 371, which has special provisions and is applicable in some states especially in the Northeast, safeguards the rights of native people with regard to religious or social practices, customary laws and procedures, ownership and transfer of land and resources, and employment and education.

The J&K administration also said on Sunday that there was no proposal to extend Article 371-like provisions to the newly created union territory.

An official spokesman said in Jammu that media reports about ...