SRINAGAR: The Supreme Court is set to hear petitions seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood on Friday.
The matter is listed as item number 17 before a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai. “The case has been scheduled for hearing on October 10 before the Chief Justice’s bench,” said advocate Soayib Qureshi, adding that the Union of India has not yet filed its response.
During an earlier hearing on August 14, the Supreme Court had emphasized the need to consider the ground realities while deciding on the matter, citing incidents such as the Pahalgam attack. “You must also take into account the ground realities; you cannot ignore what happened in Pahalgam,” the bench comprising CJI BR Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran had observed.
The petitioners contend that the prolonged delay in restoring statehood undermines the principle of federalism, a core feature of the Constitution. They have also pointed out that the government has yet to outline a timeline or implement the Supreme Court’s December 2023 directive, which stated that the “restoration of statehood shall take place at the earliest and as soon as possible.”
