Supreme Court Directs Centre to Reply on Jammu and Kashmir Statehood Plea
In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Central Government to submit its response within six weeks regarding a plea demanding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The direction came from a bench headed by Chief Justice B. R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, who observed that “ground realities cannot be ignored,” particularly while referring to recent incidents in Pahalgam. The court emphasized the need for the government to carefully consider security and administrative conditions before making any decision on statehood restoration.
The plea, filed by two residents of Jammu and Kashmir, argues that the prolonged delay in restoring statehood has affected the democratic and constitutional rights of its people. The petitioners urged the top court to direct the Union Government to honor its 2019 assurance that the Union Territory status would be temporary.
Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized into two union territories — Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The government had repeatedly stated that full statehood would be restored once “normalcy” returns to the region.
The Supreme Court’s latest direction has reignited discussions around this sensitive issue. The matter will now be taken up after six weeks, once the Centre files its detailed reply.
Source: Supreme Court Proceedings, News Agencies
