NEW DELHI, Oct 17: The Supreme Court has indicated its willingness to consider listing a petition requesting the time-bound restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. On Thursday, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was urged by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, to schedule an urgent hearing for the matter. Sankaranarayanan emphasized that the application, categorized as a Miscellaneous Application (MA), sought the reinstatement of statehood and reminded the bench that last year’s judgment had mentioned the need for a time-bound resolution.
In response, the CJI acknowledged the urgency of the plea and assured, “I will deal with it,” indicating the court’s intent to address the matter promptly. The application has been filed by Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, an academician, and Khurshid Ahmad Malik, a socio-political activist from Jammu and Kashmir, who are advocating for the region’s return to statehood status.
The petition draws on the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision on December 11, 2023, where the revocation of Article 370—effected in 2019 and which had previously granted special status to the former state—was upheld. In that judgment, the court had not only supported the abrogation of the article but had also directed that assembly elections should be conducted in the Union Territory by September 2024. Moreover, the court had highlighted that the restoration of statehood should occur “at the earliest,” underlining the urgency of the matter. The current plea reinforces that directive and calls for adherence to a specific timeframe, ensuring that the rights and governance structure of Jammu and Kashmir align with constitutional and democratic norms.
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