Supreme Court Hears Plea for Jammu and Kashmir Statehood

The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear a plea calling for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood in a time-bound manner, following assurances from the Union Government that had not been acted upon for over ten months. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan emphasized the urgency of the matter before Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, who has committed to listing the application. The plea was filed by college teacher Zahoor Ahmed Bhat and activist Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, arguing that the delay violates the principles of federalism enshrined in the Constitution. They highlighted that the region recently conducted assembly elections without any security concerns that would impede the restoration process. The Supreme Court had previously upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status, while directing that statehood should be restored 'at the earliest' without a specific timeline. With the political landscape shifting following the recent elections, there is renewed pressure on the central government to fulfill its commitments regarding statehood restoration.