Asks to conduct general elections in J & K by September 2024
NEW DELHI, Dec. 11, 2023 (TBINN)
Supreme Court today upheld Government’s decision to abrogate Article 370, which bestowed special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and said steps should be taken to conduct elections in the Assembly by September 30 next year.
Writing the judgement for himself and Justices Gavai and Surya Kant, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said Article 370 of the Constitution was a temporary provision and the President has power to revoke it.
The apex court also upheld the validity of decision to carve out Union Territory of Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir does not have internal sovereignty different from other states of the country, he said.
“We hold the exercise of presidential power to issue constitutional order abrogating Article 370 of Constitution as valid, the C.J.I. 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 permanent body, the C.J.I. stated.
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 C.J.I. added.
Bench comprising C.J.I. D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices Gavai, Surya Kant, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, assembled at 10.56 A.M. to pronounce the three separate and concurring judgements. Justices Kaul and Khanna wrote their judgments separately.
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