NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Centre four weeks to submit its response to a series of petitions demanding the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran was hearing multiple pleas, including those filed by academician Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and socio-political activist Ahmad Malik, urging the implementation of the Centre’s earlier assurance to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir “at the earliest.”
Counsel for the petitioners cited the Supreme Court’s December 2023 judgment that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, noting the undertaking given by the Centre in that verdict.
Appearing for the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said discussions were ongoing with the Jammu and Kashmir administration on the matter. “This is a sui generis (unique) issue with broader implications. While there was a solemn undertaking, several factors must be taken into account,” Mehta told the court.
He also alleged that certain groups were spreading misleading narratives and portraying a distorted picture of the situation in the Union Territory.
In its December 11, 2023 ruling, the Supreme Court had unanimously upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which had granted special status to the erstwhile state. The court had also directed that assembly elections be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir by September 2024 and that statehood be restored “at the earliest.”
Subsequently, a plea was filed in the top court seeking directions for the Centre to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir within two months.
