Supreme Court to hear plea for time-bound restoration of Jammu and Kashmir statehood

A plea seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood in a time-bound manner was brought before the Supreme Court on Thursday, with the court agreeing to hear the matter urgently.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, sought an expedited hearing from a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, accompanied by Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

“There is a Miscellaneous Application (MA) concerning the restoration of statehood. The court previously noted that this process should be time-bound,” the senior lawyer stated.

Chief Justice Chandrachud acknowledged the request, responding, "I will take it up."

The application was filed by Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, an academician, and Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, a socio-political activist from Jammu and Kashmir.

In December 2023, the Supreme Court had upheld the revocation of Article 370, which had conferred special status on Jammu and Kashmir. At the time, the court also directed that assembly elections be held by September 2024, stressing that the restoration of statehood should occur "as soon as possible."

The elections for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly were subsequently held in three phases, from September 18 to October 1, resulting in a National Conference-Congress alliance forming the government.

On Wednesday, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah was sworn in as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, along with five members of his cabinet.

Before his swearing-in, Abdullah emphasised that his government's priority would be to amplify the voices of the people. He expressed confidence that Jammu and Kashmir’s Union Territory status would soon end, and full statehood would be restored in the near future.