The apex court was hearing a petition filed by college teacher Zahoor Ahmed Bhat and activist Khurshid Ahmad Malik, arguing that the ongoing delay in restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir was negatively affecting the rights of its citizens
A Supreme Court bench consisting of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran heard a plea seeking restoration of Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, where the CJI noted that incidents like the Pahalgam attack “cannot be ignored.”
Taking an unfavourable view of the plea for restoring the region’s statehood, CJI Gavai said, “You can’t ignore what happened in Pahalgam.” The court has adjourned the matter for eight weeks.
The apex court was hearing a petition filed by college teacher Zahoor Ahmed Bhat and activist Khurshid Ahmad Malik, arguing that the ongoing delay in restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir was negatively affecting the rights of its citizens.
What did the petitioner say?
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, highlighted that the court in 2023 had put its trust in the central government that statehood in J&K would be restored after elections in the region, as it upheld the abrogation of Article 370.
“The judgment had trusted the government to grant Statehood. Restoration of Statehood was to be done after elections (in J&K). It has been 21 months since that judgment,” he told the bench.
On December 11, 2023, a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370 but directed the central government to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood “at the earliest”. The Centre informed the Court that “statehood will be restored to Jammu and Kashmir and that its status as a Union territory is temporary”.
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