An application has been filed in the Supreme Court of India seeking the expedited restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, with a specific request that this be accomplished within two months. The region was stripped of its autonomy and reorganized as a Union Territory under Indian control in 2019. The application, brought forward by academic Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and socio-political activist Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, emphasizes that the delay in restoring statehood undermines democratic governance and violates the principles of federalism enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
The petitioners have argued that the recent peaceful conduct of assembly elections indicates that there are no prevailing security concerns that would justify further delaying the restoration process. According to the application, without statehood, the results of upcoming legislative assemblies would be rendered largely ineffective. The document criticizes the absence of a fully functional state government and emphasizes the need for immediate actions to uphold democratic rights and fulfill past assurances regarding statehood.
Previously, in 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. At that time, the court instructed the Indian Government to restore the region’s statehood “at the earliest,” but refrained from specifying any concrete timeline for this process.
Following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, Jammu and Kashmir’s status was transformed into that of a Union Territory, effectively splitting the region into two separate entities: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The recent application adds further pressure on the government to address this longstanding issue of statehood amid calls for enhanced democratic rights and governance in the region.
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