SRINAGAR: A five-judge constitutional bench on Wednesday started hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the Centre’s decision to dissolve Article 370 – a provision in the Indian Constitution that gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
After a gap of four years, a five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud is hearing the petitions on a day-to-day basis, except on Mondays and Fridays. Other judges on the Constitution Bench are Justice SK Kaul, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai and Justice Surya Kant
The bench, including Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant, appointed two lawyers from both the petitioner’s and government’s sides to prepare convenience compilations and submit them by July 27. They made it clear that no documents would be accepted after that date.
Thus far, approximately 23 petitions have been filed by lawyers, activists, politicians, and retired civil servants, urging the Supreme Court to examine the legality of Parliament scrapping Article 370 without the consent of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the constitutionality of its bifurcation into two Union Territories.
