After getting a green signal from the Supreme Court, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday arrived in Srinagar to meet his ailing party colleague and former MLA Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami who has been under house arrest since August 5. Yechury arrived in the afternoon and was escorted by police to meet Tarigami at his Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar's Civil Lines area. Officials said the CPI(M) leader spent nearly three hours with his colleague. Taking to Twitter in the morning, Yechury had said, “The Supreme Court has permitted me to go to Srinagar and see Com Yousuf Tarigami and ‘report’ back to them on the condition of his health. Once I meet him, return and report to the Court, I will make a more detailed statement." On Wednesday, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi allowed Yechury to visit Kashmir, saying: “If a citizen wants to visit a part of the country, he must have access to.” The apex court's permission, however, came with a condition: Yechury can only meet Tarigami and not use the visit for any political purpose. It further stated if Yechury indulged in any political activities, authorities were free to report them to the apex court. On August 9, Yechury had been sent back from Srinagar airport after Jammu and Kashmir was put under lockdown on August 4 following the abrogation of Article 370.
