Supreme Court Seeks Response from Central Government in 8 Weeks on Petition to Restore Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir; CJI Expresses Serious Concern Over Security Situation.
Jammu: Since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the demand for restoring full statehood to the region has been consistently raised. On Thursday, the Supreme Court heard the matter and directed the Central Government to respond within eight weeks.
Abrogation of Article 370 and Reorganization
In 2019, the Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, under which the state was divided into Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Along with this, the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was abolished, and it was made a Union Territory. Since then, the people of the region have been demanding the restoration of statehood.
Demand for Restoration Ongoing for Six Years
For the past six years, political parties, social organizations, and ordinary citizens have been raising their voices to restore statehood. After August 8, the issue was heard again, with the Court asking the Center to clarify its position.
Supreme Court's Reaction to the Petition
A bench of Chief Justice (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran heard the petition filed by educationist Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and socio-political activist Ahmed Malik. The petitioners argued that statehood should be restored immediately to strengthen the democratic structure after the removal of Article 370.
Central Government's Stand
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Center, informed the Court that the restoration of statehood was being considered, but in this decision, deep contemplation is necessary on many aspects connected with this decision. He said that any step would be taken only after considering the security, administrative and political circumstances.
Mention of the 'Pahalgam Attack'
On the petitioner's request for an early hearing, the CJI said that the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir cannot be ignored in this matter. He said – "You cannot ignore what happened in Pahalgam." He was alluding to the recent terrorist incident that raised questions about the security situation. The CJI also said that the final decision on this subject has to be taken by the Parliament and the executive.
Statement of Congress MLA
Congress MLA Irfan Hafiz Lone said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are struggling to get their statehood back. He said that he has presented his case in the Supreme Court and he is confident that the decision will be based on justice and merit.
Previous Order of the Supreme Court
On December 11, 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the decision to abrogate Article 370. Along with this, the court had directed the Central Government to conduct assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 2024 and restore statehood "as soon as possible."
Last year, a new petition urged the Center to grant statehood to Jammu and Kashmir within two months. However, no final decision has been taken on this yet. Now the Court has ordered the Center to give a clear response in eight weeks.
