SRINAGAR: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday voiced its displeasure at the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to uphold the Central government’s 2019 decision to revoke Article 370.
The party in a statement issued to the press said that dismissing the challenges to the abrogation of Article 370 and dissolution of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is disturbing and will have serious consequences for the federal structure of our Constitution.
“The verdict says that JK does not retain any element of sovereignty after the Instrument of Accession was signed and hence rules that the Constitution of JK is redundant. But, was not signing of the Instrument of Accession conditional to retaining a special status contained in now abrogated Article 370?” reads the statement.
It adds that the verdict declares that JK is like any other state in the Indian Union, thereby depriving it of even the special features granted to the northeastern states and some others under various clauses of Article 371.
“The verdict has evaded going into the merits of downgrading the state of J&K into two Union Territories, stating that the Solicitor General has promised the return of statehood. At the same time, the creation of a separate Ladakh Union Territory is upheld as valid. So, the restoration is not for the original state of J&K, but only a part of it and even that remains an assurance on paper,” it said.
