SRINAGAR: The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Union Government four weeks to file its response to petitions demanding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, which was downgraded to a Union Territory following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, that consultations between the Union Government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration were in progress regarding the restoration of statehood. He added that “a lot of development has taken place in Jammu and Kashmir, and people there are happy,” asserting that 99.9 per cent of the population regard the Government of India as their own.
Senior advocates Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Menaka Guruswamy, representing the petitioners, argued that the downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir from a state to a Union Territory posed serious implications for Indian federalism. They contended that if such a move were to stand, any state could be reduced to a Union Territory at the Centre’s discretion.
Sankaranarayanan also reminded the Court that in December 2023, the Centre had assured it of the restoration of statehood. To this, Mehta replied that “much water has flown since then — and blood too,” referring to recent violent incidents in Pahalgam, sparking exchanges between the sides.
The petitioners urged the Court to have the matter heard by a five-judge constitutional bench, noting that the original verdict on Article 370 was delivered by one.
Recording the submissions, the bench granted the Union Government four weeks to respond and agreed to list the matter thereafter, taking note of Chief Justice Chandrachud’s impending retirement on November 23.
