Supreme Court verdict on constitutional validity of Centre’s decision to end J&K special status on Dec 11
National Desk, 8th December: The Supreme Court is set to announce its decision on the constitutional validity of the Centre’s move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud led the Constitution bench, which, after a 16-day hearing on various pleas against the abrogation of Article 370, reserved its judgment on December 5.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked a portion of Article 370, granting Jammu and Kashmir substantial autonomy and transforming the state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. This decision faced legal challenges, leading to an extensive review and subsequent consideration of 23 petitions by the Supreme Court.
The five-judge constitution bench, headed by CJI Chandrachud and including Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjeev Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant, concluded a marathon 16-day hearing and reserved its verdict on Tuesday. The eagerly awaited Supreme Court decision will directly impact the 1.5 crore residents of Jammu and Kashmir and will determine the conformity of the Centre’s action with the Constitution.
The government contends that its decision is in harmony with the constitutional relationship between the central and state governments. However, petitioners argue that the abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent dissolution of the Legislative Assembly deprived the people of Jammu and Kashmir of representation in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies.