In a historic decision, the Supreme Court has upheld the Central Government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution.
Under this article, the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was given special status.
In 2019, the Center had abrogated Article 370 and divided the state into two union territories — Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud gave this decision after hearing petitions challenging the Centre’s decision.
The other four judges of the Constitution bench included Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant.
The Supreme Court said that Article 370 was a temporary provision and the President has the right to abrogate it.
In August 2019, the court upheld the decision to separate Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir and make it a union territory.
The Court said that Jammu and Kashmir has no internal sovereignty unlike other states and all the provisions of the Indian Constitution apply to Jammu and Kashmir.
The judges rendered three separate decisions but the final decision was unanimous.
The Supreme Court said that statehood should be restored to Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible.
The bench also directed the Election Commission to hold elections by September 2024.
