ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Supreme Court of India fixed a plea seeking the restoration of the statehood of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for hearing on August 8.
The announcement came as the region marked six years since the illegal revocation of IIOJK’s limited autonomy and brought it directly under federal control.
The BJP-led Indian government on August 5, 2019, illegally abrogated Article 370 of the constitution, which enshrined the Indian-occupied region’s special status.
Earlier in December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld removing the region’s autonomy but called for IIOJK to be restored to statehood and put on a par with any other Indian federal state “at the earliest and as soon as possible”.
At the time, the Solicitor General had assured the court that statehood would be restored “at the earliest,” prompting the SC Bench to refrain from intervening further.
Two residents of Indian occupied Kashmir, Zahoor Ahmed Butt, a college teacher, and Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, a social activist, filed a petition in the Indian Supreme Court.
The applicants argue that New Delhi has failed to take any steps toward restoring statehood since the judgment, despite the peaceful conduct of Assembly elections in the territory.
