New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea on Friday, August 8, seeking directions to the Centre to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, Live Law reported.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who brought up the matter before Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, said the case was listed for that day and requested it not be removed. Justice Gavai agreed to the request.
The plea has been filed as a Miscellaneous Application in the already decided case concerning Article 370, in which the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. However, in its December 2023 judgment, the Constitution Bench had not ruled on the legality of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 — the legislation that divided the region into two Union territories — citing the Solicitor General’s assurance that statehood would be restored “at the earliest”.
The new plea has been filed by Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, a college lecturer, and Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, a social activist, through Advocate-on-Record Ejaz Maqbool. The petitioners argue that despite the peaceful conduct of assembly elections and nearly a year since the court’s verdict, the Centre has made no progress in restoring statehood.
August 5, 2019, marks the day the government of India revoked Article 370 and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir. As the anniversary approaches, Congress has announced plans to observe August 5 as a “black day” and hold a dharna demanding the return of statehood.
Meanwhile, a series of high-level government meetings has sparked speculation that the government of India may initiate steps toward statehood restoration.
