New Delhi: A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court delivered its ruling on a clutch of petitions that have challenged the August 2019 abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and the subsequent restructuring of the state into two Union territories.
Justice Sanjay Kaul, in his opinion, says his conclusions are almost the same as the CJI. The purpose of the J&K Constitution was to ensure everyday governance in the state and the purpose of Article 370 was to integrate the state with India.
He says that he has penned a ‘sentimental’ epilogue at the end of his opinion. The valley of Kashmir carries a historical burden and ‘We the people of Jammu and Kashmir are at the heart of the debate,’ Justice Kaul says. ‘Armies are meant to fight battles against enemies… not to control law and order in the state. The entry of the army created its own ground realities in the state… men women and children have paid a heavy price,’ he adds.
Four years after its implementation, the Supreme Cour heard pleas challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud will deliver the judgment. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on the petitions on September 5 after conducting daily hearings on the matter from August 2.
Ahead of the Supreme Court’s verdict on Monday on the constitutional validity of the Centre’s decision to abrogate controversial Article 370, several regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir expressed hope that the provision will be restored. The Bharatiya Janata said there should not be any politics on the Supreme Court ruling and everyone should respect it.
While former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed hope that the Supreme Court will deliver a verdict in favour of the people, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said the court’s verdict should be clear that the decision taken by the BJP-led central government was “illegal”.
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