The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to respond within eight weeks to a plea seeking the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The matter was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran. The plea, filed in October 2024, was moved by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan on behalf of academic Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and social activist Khurshaid Ahmad Malik.
During the hearing, Sankaranarayanan urged the court to club all pending petitions related to the demand for statehood. “If an executory aspect is being sought, then a bench may be constituted and a timeline fixed,” he submitted.
CJI Gavai, however, stated that the Centre must first file its response before such steps are considered.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the government had already assured restoration of statehood after elections. “There is a peculiar position of this part of our country. I don’t know why this issue is being agitated now. This particular state is not the correct state to muddy the waters. I’ll still seek instructions. Eight weeks may be given,” he said.
The bench also noted that the ground situation must be considered. “You cannot ignore what happened in Pahalgam,” CJI Gavai remarked.
The petitioners have sought restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood within a fixed timeframe, preferably within two months. The demand has been backed by political parties including the National Conference (NC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Congress, Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC), and the Apni Party, as well as local civil society groups, who argue that it is vital for restoring local governance.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370 but directed the Union government to restore statehood “at the earliest” and conduct assembly elections by September 30, 2024.
While the assembly polls were conducted as ordered, the question of restoring statehood remains unresolved. The matter will be taken up again once the Centre submits its reply. (Agencies)
