asked "Bhim Singh you were all right as a human being. Why you chose to be an animal?" Prof. Bhim Singh had then responded that "the people of State were terrorized by a big animal, known as Sher-e-Kashmir (Lion of Kashmir was Abdullah's nickname). They needed safety and protection from that lion. It was necessary to become an animal (Panther) to resist the lion." J&K general elections, 1983 On its formation in the 1983 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections the Panther's Party contested 50 seats in Jammu and Kashmir. The Panthers Party won only one seat, that of party founder Bhim Singh. He retained his seat with 7,690 votes (34.37%), a slender margin of 262 votes over his Congress Party rival. In reaction to his split from Congress, its ruling Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, had given Bhim Singh stiff opposition in his constituency of Chenani-Ghordi. In the neighbouring constituency of Udhampur, Panthers Party co-founder Jay Mala, placed third against sixteen other male candidates with 3,768 votes (13.75%), and polled the second most votes amongst all women candidates in the 1983 J&K general elections. She was one of only seven female candidates that contested out of a total 512 candidates. Indian general elections, 1984 Bhim Singh stood in the 1984 general elections for Indian parliament, from the Udhampur constituency. He came second, to the Indian National Congress from which he had recently split to form the Panthers Party. He received 95,149 votes (26.24%). Bhim Singh, MLA v. State of Jammu and Kashmir, 1985 On 17 August 1985 Bhim Singh was suspended from the opening of the budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly that was scheduled for 11 September. He subsequently challenged the suspension in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. After his suspension was stayed by High Court on 9 September, Bhim Singh was illegally detained and arrested by the police en route to Srinagar. After attempts to locate him proved futile his wife and advocate Jay Mala then moved the court to locate Bhim Singh. The court ruled that there "certainly was a gross violation of Shri Bhim Singh's constitutional rights" and condemned the "authoritarian acts of the police." The judges stated that they were in no doubt that the top levels of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir where ultimately responsible. The Supreme Court in a landmark judgement that impacted tort law in India, awarded Bhim Singh