The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a critical plea on Thursday, August 14, 2025, seeking the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, which has operated as a Union Territory for nearly five years. Filed last year by academician Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and socio-political activist Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, the petition urges the Centre to reinstate statehood within two months, arguing that prolonged delays undermine democratic governance and the constitutional principle of federalism.
The plea highlights the successful conduct of peaceful assembly elections and Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024, with no reported incidents of violence or security concerns. “There is no impediment of security concerns, violence, or any other disturbances which would hinder or prevent the grant/restoration of the status of statehood,” the application states. It contends that the continued Union Territory status, following the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, has impeded development and curtailed the democratic rights of citizens.
In its December 2023 verdict, the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370, deeming it a temporary provision and affirming the President’s authority to revoke it after the expiration of Jammu and Kashmir’s Constituent Assembly in 1957. The court directed the Centre to restore statehood “at the earliest and as soon as possible.” However, the petitioners argue that no concrete timeline or steps have been provided, leaving the region in a state of diminished democratic representation despite the assembly election results declared on October 8, 2024.
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The plea warns that failure to restore statehood risks a “serious reduction of democratically elected government,” violating the Constitution’s federal structure. As the Supreme Court prepares to address this pressing issue, the outcome could significantly impact Jammu and Kashmir’s political landscape and India’s federal framework.
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