THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, August 14: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to respond to a petition seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
A bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran noted Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s submission that multiple factors are involved in the decision-making process.
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The petition, filed by academician Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and socio-political activist Ahmad Malik, has been scheduled for hearing after eight weeks.
The bench also referred to the recent incident in Pahalgam while observing that decisions on such matters rest with Parliament and the Executive.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing Bhat, had sought an expedited hearing, but the court maintained its schedule.
“You cannot ignore what happened in Pahalgam… It is for Parliament and the Executive to take a decision,” the CJI said.
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This petition follows the Supreme Court’s December 11, 2023 judgment that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state.
In that verdict, the court had directed the conduct of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 2024 and the restoration of statehood at the earliest.
