Kashmir Conspiracy Case
Encyclopedia
Kashmir Conspiracy Case was the legal case filed by Government of Kashmir
and Investigations Department of the Government of India
, by which Sheikh Abdullah and others were arrested and jailed. Abduallah along with Mirza Afzal Beg
and 22 others were accused of conspiracy against the state in the for allegedly espousing the cause of an independent Kashmir. The case was framed in 1958, for which trial began in 1959 was withdrawn in 1964 as a diplomatic descision.
) Dr. Karan Singh
son of the erstwhile Maharajah Hari Singh
on the charge that he had lost the confidence of his cabinet
He was denied the opportunity to prove his majority on the floor of the house. and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed was appointed as Prime Minister. He was arrested soon after in year 1953 for anti-national activities.
Following the overthrow of Sheikh Abdullah, his lieutenant Mirza Afzal Beg formed the Plebiscite Front
on 9 August 1955 to fight for the plebiscite demand and the unconditional release of Sheikh Abdullah who had been arrested after his removal. Abudullah meanwhile was released for a short time and later again re-arrested for the activities of the Plebiscite Front eventually led to the institution of the Kashmir Conspiracy Case in 1958 and two other cases. Sheikh Abdullah was immediately arrested and later jailed again thus spending almost eleven years, accused of conspiracy against the State in the famous "Kashmir Conspiracy Case".
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad
, who was installed as Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, said in his radio broadcast that :-
Before his dismissal, arrest, brief release and re-arrest under the case, the intelligence agency had collected ample proof regarding the Sheikh's links with Pakistan and of his speeches and activities to these affect, after which Bakshi rearrested Sheikh Abdullah. The entire matter relating to the conspiracy of the Sheikh for joining hands with Pakistan was submitted to Nehru along with documentary evidence and recorded tapes of his public speeches. Jawaharlal Nehru
was taken aback while listening to the tapes and going through the letters of Sheikh Abdullah. He approved launching of a case against the Sheikh, his one time very close friend. Thus, the Kashmir conspiracy case was launched against Sheikh Abdullah, Mirza Afzal Beg and 22 other people on charge of having conspired with Pakistan
for making of an independent Kashmir.
The counsel of Government, between 9th of August 1953 and 29th April, 1958, in his several briefs before the court, stated that the accused and their accomplices both inside and outside the state collaborated with Pakistani officials to overthrow the Government with violence. Their intention was to overthrow the Government and to annex the state with Pakistan through the process to spread hatred in the masses against the Government.
The court was shown that, while Sheikh Abdullah was in jail his wife Begum Akbar Jahan Abdullah
and allies, Mirza Afzal Beg, Ghulam Mohammad Chikan, Mir Ghulam Rasool, Pir Maqbool Gilani, Khwaja Ali Shah and others, received large amount of money from Pakistan for this purpose. They also received type-writers and litho-machines
and literature for propaganda purposes. Besides explosives were received from Pakistan for blowing up bridges, factories, military installations, mosques, temples and Gurudwaras in Jammu & Kashmir, so that the Government machinery may be paralyzed. People were trained in Pakistan to come and create havoc here.
The trials began in 1959 and were heard over several years, when in 1962 the special Magistrate, transferred the case to higher court that all the accused be tried under Indian Penal Code
, under sections for which punishment was either death or life-imprisonment. But certain later developments like Hazratbal disappearance episode
in Kashmir, lead to decision of Nehru to drop the case.Sheikh Abudullah spent almost eleven years behind bars from 1953 till 1964 (six years after being accused under the case), while others from 1958 till 1964. In 1964, when whole nation was eagerly awaiting the outcome of the case and the judgement of the court, the case was withdrawn and all the accused were released as a part of controversial and sudden diplomatic decision taken by Jawaharlal Nehru, the erstwhile Prime Minister of India
and Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq
, the erstwhile Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Government of Jammu and Kashmir
The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and its 3 Divisions and 22 districts...
and Investigations Department of the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
, by which Sheikh Abdullah and others were arrested and jailed. Abduallah along with Mirza Afzal Beg
Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg
Mirza Mohammad Afzal Bég was a Kashmiri politician and lieutenant of the late Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah. He was also the president of the Plebiscite Front and was arrested as one of the accused in Kashmir Conspiracy Case. In later years, he was Sheikh Abdullah's...
and 22 others were accused of conspiracy against the state in the for allegedly espousing the cause of an independent Kashmir. The case was framed in 1958, for which trial began in 1959 was withdrawn in 1964 as a diplomatic descision.
History of Case
On 8 August 1953 Sheikh Abdullah was dismissed as Prime Minister by the then Sadr-i-Riyasat (Constitutional Head of StateHead of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
) Dr. Karan Singh
Karan Singh
Karan Singh is an MP in the Rajya Sabha, a senior member of the ruling Indian National Congress Party serving as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Department, President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations , India's Ambassador to UNESCO, Chairman of the Auroville Foundation and of the Temple...
son of the erstwhile Maharajah Hari Singh
Hari Singh
Maharaja Hari Singh was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in India.He was married four times...
on the charge that he had lost the confidence of his cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
He was denied the opportunity to prove his majority on the floor of the house. and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed was appointed as Prime Minister. He was arrested soon after in year 1953 for anti-national activities.
Following the overthrow of Sheikh Abdullah, his lieutenant Mirza Afzal Beg formed the Plebiscite Front
Plebiscite Front
The Plebiscite Front was a political party in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir that called for a "popular plebiscite" to decide if the state should remain part of India, join Pakistan or become independent...
on 9 August 1955 to fight for the plebiscite demand and the unconditional release of Sheikh Abdullah who had been arrested after his removal. Abudullah meanwhile was released for a short time and later again re-arrested for the activities of the Plebiscite Front eventually led to the institution of the Kashmir Conspiracy Case in 1958 and two other cases. Sheikh Abdullah was immediately arrested and later jailed again thus spending almost eleven years, accused of conspiracy against the State in the famous "Kashmir Conspiracy Case".
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed ruled the State of Jammu and Kashmir as Prime Minister for eleven years from 1953 to 1964.Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed was educated at C.M.S Tyndale Biscoe School. He started his career as a school teacher in far flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir like Skardu and Leh and later...
, who was installed as Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, said in his radio broadcast that :-
Before his dismissal, arrest, brief release and re-arrest under the case, the intelligence agency had collected ample proof regarding the Sheikh's links with Pakistan and of his speeches and activities to these affect, after which Bakshi rearrested Sheikh Abdullah. The entire matter relating to the conspiracy of the Sheikh for joining hands with Pakistan was submitted to Nehru along with documentary evidence and recorded tapes of his public speeches. Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
was taken aback while listening to the tapes and going through the letters of Sheikh Abdullah. He approved launching of a case against the Sheikh, his one time very close friend. Thus, the Kashmir conspiracy case was launched against Sheikh Abdullah, Mirza Afzal Beg and 22 other people on charge of having conspired with Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
for making of an independent Kashmir.
The counsel of Government, between 9th of August 1953 and 29th April, 1958, in his several briefs before the court, stated that the accused and their accomplices both inside and outside the state collaborated with Pakistani officials to overthrow the Government with violence. Their intention was to overthrow the Government and to annex the state with Pakistan through the process to spread hatred in the masses against the Government.
The court was shown that, while Sheikh Abdullah was in jail his wife Begum Akbar Jahan Abdullah
Begum Akbar Jahan Abdullah
Akbar Jahan Abdullah was a member of 6th and 8th Lok Sabha from 1977 to 1979 and 1984 to 1989 from Srinagar and Anantnag Parliamentary constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir.-Political career:...
and allies, Mirza Afzal Beg, Ghulam Mohammad Chikan, Mir Ghulam Rasool, Pir Maqbool Gilani, Khwaja Ali Shah and others, received large amount of money from Pakistan for this purpose. They also received type-writers and litho-machines
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
and literature for propaganda purposes. Besides explosives were received from Pakistan for blowing up bridges, factories, military installations, mosques, temples and Gurudwaras in Jammu & Kashmir, so that the Government machinery may be paralyzed. People were trained in Pakistan to come and create havoc here.
The trials began in 1959 and were heard over several years, when in 1962 the special Magistrate, transferred the case to higher court that all the accused be tried under Indian Penal Code
Indian Penal Code
Indian Penal Code is the main criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code, intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. It was drafted in 1860 and came into force in colonial India during the British Raj in 1862...
, under sections for which punishment was either death or life-imprisonment. But certain later developments like Hazratbal disappearance episode
Hazratbal disappearance episode
The Hazratbal disappearance episode is the incident in 1963 of the disappearance of a hair - believed to be of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from the Hazratbal shrine in Jammu and Kashmir state in India.The hair was reported disppeared on 26 December 1963...
in Kashmir, lead to decision of Nehru to drop the case.Sheikh Abudullah spent almost eleven years behind bars from 1953 till 1964 (six years after being accused under the case), while others from 1958 till 1964. In 1964, when whole nation was eagerly awaiting the outcome of the case and the judgement of the court, the case was withdrawn and all the accused were released as a part of controversial and sudden diplomatic decision taken by Jawaharlal Nehru, the erstwhile Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
and Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq
Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq
Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq was the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 1964 to 1965, when the position was abolished. He then served as Chief Minister from 1965-71....
, the erstwhile Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.