The Supreme Court has received an application seeking a directive for the Union Government to restore statehood to Jammu Kashmir within two months, Live Law reported.
This plea, filed by college teacher Zahoor Ahmed Bhat and activist Khurshid Ahmad Malik, argues that the Union has not fulfilled its assurance to restore statehood, despite the Supreme Court’s judgment upholding the abrogation of Article 370.
In August 2023, Zahoor was suspended from the Union Territory’s education department by the administration in Srinagar, just four days after he argued against the Centre’s decision to revoke J-K’s constitutional safeguards.
Zahoor was reinstated after the Supreme court order.
The applicants contend that the failure to restore statehood violates the principle of federalism, a fundamental aspect of India’s Constitution.
The plea highlights that the Supreme Court’s previous judgment did not set a specific timeline for restoring statehood, only stating it should happen “as soon as possible.”
The applicants argue that the peaceful conduct of the recent Assembly elections demonstrates the absence of any security threat that could hinder the restoration process.