Supreme Court Deliberates on Jammu and Kashmir Statehood Restoration

The Indian Supreme Court has provided the Centre four weeks to submit its response concerning petitions requesting the reinstatement of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The hearing, held on Friday, saw a bench that included Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran addressing various pleas led by academic Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and activist Ahmad Malik.

The pleas demand adherence to the Centre's commitment to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, first promised during the hearings on the annulment of Article 370. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the government, cited security issues, such as the recent Pahalgam attack, as reasons for the delay.

Debates also touched upon the potential threats to federalism, with critics arguing that failure to restore statehood could undermine India's constitutional framework. Advocate Maneka Guruswamy expressed concerns about the conversion of states into Union Territories, while the government argued significant progress in the region. The outcome remains contingent on ongoing evaluations and security assessments.

(With inputs from agencies.)