The Supreme Court is set to hear a plea on Thursday, 14 August, seeking directions to the Centre to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The application has been filed by Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, a college teacher, and Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, a social activist, both of whom were petitioners in the earlier Article 370 abrogation case.
Listed before a two-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, the petition argues that the Centre’s delay in restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood has continued to infringe upon the rights of its residents.
The petitioners referred to the Centre’s previous assurance made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the Union Territory status of Jammu and Kashmir was temporary, and that statehood would be reinstated, excluding Ladakh. However, they contend that nearly 10 months after the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370, no concrete steps have been taken toward that promise.
The application, filed in the disposed case concerning the removal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, urges the court to issue time-bound directions to the Centre, ideally within two months, to complete the restoration process.
The plea further argues that the delay violates the federal structure of the Constitution and is causing “grave harm” to democratic governance in the region. The petitioners also highlighted the peaceful conduct of recent assembly elections, asserting that security concerns no longer justify the delay in reinstating statehood.
