Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): The Supreme Court has finally begun hearing arguments against the abrogation of Article 370 since Wednesday. In addition to Kapil Sibal, who is defending the petitions filed in opposition to the abrogation of Article 370 — Aparajita Jamwal, his associate lawyer, has also been hogging the headlines.
While Sibal is expanding his fan base as a result of his keen insight and understanding of legal intricacies in the Supreme Court, the presence of his associate lawyer, Aparajita, throughout the hearing is also evident to both public and private observers. She was drawing the attention of the people for her dedication and regular help to Kapil Sibal throughout the court hearing.
Young lawyer Aparajita had argued several cases in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and the Supreme Court for about 10 years. She is from the Chhani Himmat area of Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir. She received her elementary education in Jammu, but shifted to Mayo Girls' College in Ajmer of Rajasthan, for her higher education after completing her BA in Law from Jammu University. She then went on to earn her MA in Law from National Law Institute University in Madhya Pradesh.
"Sibal Sahib has more than 50 years of legal expertise," she said during a phone conversation with ETV Bharat from New Delhi. "There is a lot to learn from him. Before pursuing any lawsuit, one must conduct extensive study, and Sibal Sahib is always there with a helping hand. It is a privilege for me to assist him during this important hearing. He enjoys writing poems and music, and he also shares them with us to boost our morale at times."
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"We have been fully committed to the case for the past two weeks. The matter needs a lot of study and effort. So far two days of hearing are done and we were on tenterhooks and now we are focusing on the next hearing, which is scheduled for Tuesday," she said. So far, Aparajita worked as a pro bono attorney in the Ministry of Law and Justice, a panel attorney for New India Assurance, and an empanelled lawyer for Cooperative Bank. She also defended several cases in the courts of Jammu and Kashmir. She also served as legal counsel for St Mary's School and PGI Chandigarh. And she has been working with Kapil Sibal for about two years.
Jammu and Kashmir's semi-autonomous status under Article 370 was revoked by the Central government on August 5, 2019, and the state was downgraded into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir UT and Ladakh UT. Almost four years after this decision, the hearing, in this case, got underway on August 2 with petitions filed against the abrogation of Article 370 being defended by leading politician and lawyer Kapil Sibal. During the hearing, he went on to say that the abrogation of Article 370 was unconstitutional and that "the Centre's steps were politically motivated".
