New Delhi, August 14: In an unprecedented step, 356 army men have moved to Apex Court expressing their concern over 'dilution of' the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The Supreme Court has thus agreed to hear the soldiers' plea. According to a Times Now report, a bench of justices headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra has agreed to hear the plea on an urgent basis saying that the dilution of AFSPA could jeopardise national security.

The soldiers' concern is that the AFSPA acts like a legal immunity for armed forces personnel serving in disturbed areas, combating the insurgency, and its dilution could jeopardise the efficiency of Counter-terrorism operations in Jammu & Kashmir and other insurgency-affected areas.

The plea reportedly comes on the backdrop of a recent order by Supreme Court, which had asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to prosecute armed forces personnel over alleged incidents of extra-judicial killings in Manipur.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 14, 2018 12:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).