On Thursday, the Supreme Court asked the central government to respond within eight weeks to petitions seeking the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. This comes as the court heard an application pushing for action on its earlier judgment, which had directed that statehood be restored “as soon as possible.”
Minister Satish reacted to the development, questioning why the decision should be delayed for eight weeks. Speaking to the media in Srinagar, he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make an announcement on the matter on Independence Day. Satish added that while statehood is “out of our domain,” the Supreme Court should consider all aspects and “return the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, highlighted that no significant progress has been made toward restoring statehood, despite the court’s earlier judgment and prior assurances. He noted that it has been 21 months since the court directed the Election Commission of India to hold assembly elections in J&K by September 30.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the plea, arguing that the application was “not maintainable” and that “peculiar conditions” in the region make holding elections difficult. He requested that the matter be taken up after eight weeks.
The Chief Justice of India, B. R. Gavai, heading the bench, acknowledged the need to consider “ground situations” and cited incidents like those in Pahalgam. The Solicitor General affirmed that steps toward restoring statehood are underway but emphasized the complexity of the situation on the ground.
