J&K has been without an elected government since June 2018. (File)
Srinagar:
The Centre is likely to provide a timeframe on restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood to the Supreme Court today, more than four years after the state was converted into a Union Territory.
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta will make a statement before a constitution bench of the Supreme Court which is currently hearing a batch of pleas challenging the revocation of Article 370 under which Jammu and Kashmir had a special constitutional status.
On Tuesday, Mr Mehta had told the top court that he will make a “positive statement” on Thursday after he was asked to take instructions from the government and return with a timeframe for restoring the statehood.
“I have taken instructions. The instructions are that Union Territory (of Jammu and Kashmir) is not a permanent feature. I will make a positive statement the day after tomorrow. Ladakh will remain a UT,” he had told the court.
A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Of India, DY Chandrachud, is conducting daily hearings of petitions.
In its last hearing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court had laid emphasis on the need to restore democracy in J&K, which has been without an elected government since June 2018.
“Can you convert a State into a UT? And can a UT be carved out of a State. Also, when elections could be held? This has to come an end… give us the specific time frame as to when will you restore actual democracy. We want to record this, ” the court had told Mr Mehta.
The Chief Justice, while acknowledging national security concerns, also insisted on restoration of democracy in the region, which has been directly administered by the central government since 2018.
The attorney general and solicitor general are among the battery of senior lawyers who are defending Centre’s decision while senior advocate Kapil Sibal, Gopal Subramanium, Rajeev Dhavan and several other top lawyers are appearing for the petitioners.
So far, at the heart of the arguments, is if due process was followed while abrogating Article 370 and dividing state into two union territories- J&K and Ladakh.
Leaders and petitioners from Ladakh have expressed their disappointment over The Solicitor General’s statement that Ladakh will remain a Union Territory. Over the last two years, there have been massive protests in Ladakh demanding statehood for the region.
After scrapping Article 370 in August 2019, the Modi government had assured that it will restore statehood at an appropriate time. Home Minister Amit Shah has reiterated the same but no deadline has been set for such a move.
