Amid speculations across Jammu and Kashmir on the verdict that the Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce verdict on Monday on a bunch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 by the BJP government, PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said that looking at the precautions being taken by the security forces, “it seems that the verdict will be against the people of J&K.”

Mehbooba, who was talking to media-persons on the sidelines of her public meeting in south Kashmir’s Bijbehara, said that police were preparing lists of leaders of opposition parties ahead of the SC verdict.

The Supreme Court already took five years to hear the petitions against abrogation of Article 370, but given the Court’s previous several judgements that without constituent assembly Article370 cannot be removed, so the final verdict should be simple and straight that the 5 August 2019 decision of the BJP government was “unconstitutional”, she added.

Earlier in the morning, National Conference leader, Omar Abdullah, said in Kulgam; “No one can say with surety that they know what will happen. I have no machinery that would tell me what the five judges might be thinking or what they’ve written in the judgment. I can only hope and pray that the decision is in our favour…”.

He said: “We were the first to move the Supreme Court challenging the revocation of Article 370. Regardless of the eventual decision, our political fight will persist.”

Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter, Iltija Mufti wrote on X; “Can hazard a guess – SC will uphold the unconstitutional revocation of Article 370 & nudge GOI to restore statehood (not a legally binding directive). Along with a vague framework to restore democracy by holding elections.”

A five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, reserved its verdict on 5 September on the petitions against scrapping of the Constitutional safeguards that bestowed special status on the erstwhile state of J&K that was split into two Union Territories (UTs).

BJP activists defending abrogation of Article 370 assert there was nothing wrong in scrapping the special status. The action has brought peace in J&K and streamlined the administration.

Meanwhile, Additional DGP, Law and Order, Vijay Kumar held a high level security review meeting in Srinagar ahead of the Supreme Court verdict. He directed the district authorities to keep a watch on the emerging situation in Kashmir Valley.

He also ordered for taking “preventive and punitive” actions against anyone who indulges in “mischief, misinformation and misuse of social media.”

The meeting was attended by top officers of the Intelligence Bureau, CID, all district magistrates and senior superintendents of police of Kashmir division.