The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear a plea seeking the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, nearly five years after its reorganisation into a Union Territory. As per the causelist, the matter will be taken up by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran.
The petition, filed by academician Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and socio-political activist Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, urges the Centre to restore statehood within two months. It argues that the prolonged delay undermines federal principles enshrined in the Constitution and deprives the people of Jammu and Kashmir of their democratic rights.
The plea highlights that both the legislative assembly elections and the Lok Sabha polls were held peacefully in the region, without any incidents of violence or security threats. It contends that there are no security-related obstacles to restoring statehood and accuses the Centre of failing to provide any timeline for implementing the Supreme Court’s earlier directive.
On December 11, 2023, the apex court unanimously upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir since 1949. In the same judgment, the court directed that assembly elections be held by September 2024 and statehood be restored “at the earliest.” The petitioners allege that despite these directions, no progress has been made.
The Supreme Court had observed in its verdict that Article 370 was a temporary provision and could be revoked by the President of India, especially in the absence of the state’s Constituent Assembly, which ceased to exist in 1957.
Jammu and Kashmir has been administered as a Union Territory since August 2019, a situation the petitioners say has caused developmental setbacks and weakened democratic governance in the region.
