NEW DELHI (Kashmir English): The Indian Supreme Court has sought a response from the BJP government on a petition filed regarding the restoration of the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, illegally occupied by India.
The Supreme Court remarked that it cannot ignore the ground conditions in which the Pahalgam incident took place.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a two-judge bench comprising Indian Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran also took cognizance of a petition filed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Modi government, which stated that “the decision-making process is affected due to certain reservations.”
The government had talked about granting statehood after the elections, but Jammu and Kashmir has a special position.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, said that the Indian government had assured this court of the restoration of statehood, but no progress has been made in this regard after 21 months.
The bench said that you cannot ignore what happened in Pahalgam; it is the job of Parliament and the executive to decide.
Gopal Sankaranarayanan requested for early disposal of the petition.
The Supreme Court had listed the petition filed by Kashmiri educationist Zahoor Ahmed Bhat and socio-political activist Khurshid Ahmed Malik for hearing after eight weeks.
The petitioners maintain that the Indian government has not taken any practical steps to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir despite the assurances of the court.
The petition states that now that the assembly elections in the occupied territory have been held, the failure to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is a violation of the federal structure of the Indian Constitution.
The Supreme Court, in its December 2023 judgment, had directed the government to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible, but had not set any time frame.
This petition has been filed in this context so that pressure can be increased on the Indian government to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
