The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear a petition regarding the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. The hearing will be conducted by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran.
This plea follows the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision on December 11, 2023, which upheld the 2019 abrogation of Article 370. In that same ruling, the court had directed that assembly elections be held in Jammu and Kashmir by September 2024 and that statehood be restored “at the earliest.”
The current application, filed by academician Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and activist Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, argues that the delay in restoring statehood undermines democratic governance and the principle of federalism. The plea highlights that peaceful assembly and Lok Sabha polls were recently held in the region, which it argues removes any security concerns that might hinder the restoration of statehood. The application also notes that despite the Supreme Court’s directive, the central government has not provided a timeline for the restoration of statehood. It concludes that Jammu and Kashmir’s status as a Union Territory for nearly five years has negatively impacted the region’s development and the democratic rights of its citizens.
The court’s 2023 verdict had affirmed that Article 370 was a temporary provision and that the President of India had the authority to revoke it.
