SC to consider plea for time-bound restoration of J-K’s statehood

NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court of India has agreed to consider a plea seeking the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir within a specific timeframe.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan filed the application before a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, requesting that it be listed for hearing.

Sankaranarayanan emphasized the need for a time-bound restoration of statehood in relation to Article 370, urging the court to address the matter urgently. Chief Justice Chandrachud agreed to consider the request, paving the way for potential progress on this critical issue.

The application was filed in connection with the case regarding Article 370 of the Constitution, where the Supreme Court had previously upheld the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Although the court did not directly rule on the constitutionality of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019, which changed the region’s status to a Union Territory, it had directed that statehood be restored “as soon as possible” without specifying a timeline.

Applicants Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, a college teacher, and Khurshid Ahmad Malik, an activist, pointed out that despite the assurance of statehood restoration, the Union Government has taken no action in 11 months following the judgment. The plea argues that the non-restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood violates the basic feature of federalism and the country’s constitutional structure.