THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Oct 14: The Supreme Court dismissed a petition on Monday that sought to challenge the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir’s authority to nominate five Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the Union Territory Assembly.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and PV Sanjay Kumar declined to consider the petition and advised the petitioner, Ravinder Kumar Sharma, to initially seek redress from the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the petitioner, argued that nominations made by an unelected Lieutenant Governor could undermine the electoral mandate.
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The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019, along with the amendment bill introduced in 2023, granted the Lieutenant Governor additional powers, including the authority to nominate five members to the assembly: two women, two migrants (including one woman), and one representative from displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
These five nominated members will have the same authority and voting privileges as other Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
The Congress, National Conference (NC), and the PDP have expressed opposition to this potential action, characterizing it as a violation of democratic principles.
