National Desk, 29th August: The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the status of Jammu and Kashmir will soon be restored, but Ladakh will still be a Union Territory.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was in attendance on behalf of the Centre, promised that a proclamation would be made shortly.
The Solicitor General’s remark was in response to a question about the plan and timeline for restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s Statehood that was posed by a five-judge Constitution panel that included Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant.
“We need a statement from the Central government. Is there a time frame in view? The restoration of democracy is a vital component of our nation. Please tell us what the roadmap is for this,” asked the bench while hearing a batch of pleas challenging abrogation of the Article 370.
The Solicitor General informed the bench that he had received orders from the Center that the Union Territory (of J-K) was not intended to be permanent. He said, “I will make a positive statement the day after tomorrow. Ladakh would continue to be a part of the Union.”
Furthermore, CJI Chandrachud questioned the authority of Parliament to change a State into a Union Territory.
The court questioned if the region’s status as a Union Territory was long-term when the Solicitor General brought up the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act in this context. The Solicitor General rejected this in his response.
“I would eventually show how the Central government intends to reinstate Statehood and hold elections,” Mehta stated.
It is noteworthy that a number of petitions opposing the repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution and the division of the state into two Union Territories are currently being heard by the Constitution bench.
Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 was revoked by the Center on August 5, 2019, and the region was divided into two Union territories.