Pointing to the inherent gender bias in the provision, counsel Bimal Jad appearing for the petitioner told the bench that former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah married a foreigner but his son Omar Abdullah continues to enjoy all rights and privileges in the state. Omar Abdullah in turn marries outside the state and his children continue to enjoy same rights and privileges but same was not the case with his sister Sara Abdullah who too had married outside the state, he added, this was not only discrimitory on the grounds of gender bias but also violative of right to equality under the Constitution’s Article 14. Earlier, the bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar had on July 17 referred to the three-judge bench the challenge to Article 35A dealing with special rights and privileges to the citizens of the Jammu and Kashmir. (IANS)