“We direct that steps be taken by EC to conduct elections of J&K Assembly by September 30, 2024,” said Chief Justice of India Chandrachud in its ruling.
The Supreme Court Constitutional bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai and Surya Kant Court also directed the government to restore the statehood of J&K. “We direct that restoration of statehood in Union Territory of J&K shall be done at the earliest,” said CJI. However, the court upheld the carving out of Ladakh as a Union Territory.
The Court said that the state of Jammu and Kashmir does not have internal sovereignty different from other states of the country. “… all provisions of the Indian Constitution can be applied to J-K,” the CJI said.
- All
- Madhya Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Telangana
- Chhattisgarh
- Mizoram
“We hold the exercise of presidential power to issue constitutional order abrogating Article 370 of Constitution as valid,” CJI Chandrachud said.Jammu and Kashmir became an integral part of India and this is evident from Articles 1 and 370, he said while pronouncing the judgment.“The Constituent Assembly of J&K was never intended to be a permanent body,” the CJI emphasised.Article 370, which was abrogated on August 5, 2019, was an interim arrangement due to war conditions in the erstwhile state, Justice Chandrachud said.
The princely state had become an integral part of India and this is evident from Articles 1 and 370, the CJI said.
The apex court had reserved its verdict in the matter on September 5 after a 16-day hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370.
