The Ministry of Home Affairs has amended the rules of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, giving more power to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha amid speculation of assembly polls being held in the Union Territory soon.

This effectively means any elected government in the Union Territory will have limited powers when it comes to critical matters, including internal security, transfers, prosecution, and appointment of government lawyers, including the Attorney-General.

"No proposal which requires previous concurrence of the Finance Department with regard to police, public order, AIS and ACB to exercise the discretion of the Lt Governor under the Act shall be concurred or rejected unless it has been placed before the Lt Governor through the Chief Secretary," the notification said.

The Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs will submit the proposal for the appointment of an Advocate-General and other law officers to assist the Advocate-General in the court proceedings, for getting approval from the Lt Governor through the Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister.

Any proposal regarding grant or refusal of prosecution sanction or filing of appeal will be placed before the Lt Governor through the Chief Secretary by the Department of Law, according to the notification.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has amended the transaction of business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules 2019.

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls would be held after the Amarnath Yatra, which concludes on August 19. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a key BJP meeting and asked leaders from the region to prepare for the election, sources said.

Sources privy to the development confirm that Assembly election will be held in Jammu and Kashmir soon and the change in business rules is another indication of what's in store for the Union Territory as far as the governance model in a post-election scenario is concerned.

Major parties like the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) termed the Centre's action an attempt to turn an elected government into a municipal council.

Source: India Today