SC agrees to hear plea seeking restoration of J&K statehood
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea seeking time-bound restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan mentioned the petition for urgent consideration on Thursday before a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. The applicants are Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, an academician, and Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, a socio-political activist from the region.
Plea seeks time-bound process for restoring J&K's statehood
The plea highlights the need for a time-bound process to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, as the Supreme Court had earlier directed. On December 11, 2023, the court had upheld the revocation of Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019. The court had also ordered that assembly elections be held by September 2024 and emphasized that statehood should be restored "at the earliest."
Assembly elections held, new government formed in J&K
Following the Supreme Court's directives, assembly elections were held in three phases between September 18 and October 1, 2024. The National Conference-Congress alliance won, becoming the first elected government in the union territory since its special status was revoked in 2019. National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah was sworn in as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
Abdullah's government pledges to represent people's voice
At his swearing-in ceremony, Abdullah said his government's main task would be to be the voice of the people. He was hopeful that Jammu and Kashmir would soon get full statehood. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were also present at the ceremony in Srinagar. Kharge reiterated his party's commitment to restoring statehood in Jammu and Kashmir.
