The Supreme Court of India is set to hear on Friday, August 8, an application seeking directions to the central government for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The application, filed as a Miscellaneous Application in the disposed-of matter “In Re: Article 370 of the Constitution”, was mentioned before Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan. The advocate urged the CJI to ensure that the matter remains listed for hearing on the scheduled date, a request which was accepted by the court.
This plea comes nearly eleven months after a five-judge Constitution Bench of the apex court upheld the abrogation of Article 370 in its December 2023 verdict but refrained from adjudicating the validity of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 — the law that bifurcated the state into the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The Bench, relying on assurances from the Solicitor General, had observed that the restoration of statehood “shall take place at the earliest”, though it did not set a timeline.
The present application has been moved by Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, a college lecturer, and Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, a social activist. Represented by Advocate-on-Record Ejaz Maqbool, the petitioners argue that despite the court’s directions and the peaceful conduct of elections in the region, the Centre has taken no concrete steps towards restoring statehood.
The hearing is scheduled against the backdrop of the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent reorganisation of the erstwhile state. On August 5, 2019, the Union government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and downgraded it from a state to a Union Territory — a move that sparked political and legal debates nationwide.
Marking the anniversary, the Indian National Congress has announced that it will observe August 5 as a “black day” and stage a dharna to demand the immediate restoration of full statehood.
Meanwhile, political corridors are abuzz with speculation that the government may be preparing to act on the statehood issue. A flurry of high-level meetings has added to the speculation. On Sunday, President Droupadi Murmu held separate meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. On Monday, Amit Shah reportedly held a closed-door meeting at Parliament with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Kumar Deka, and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan.
Adding further intrigue, a meeting of all NDA MPs has been scheduled for Tuesday morning. However, government officials and BJP leaders have remained tight-lipped about the developments.
