SC upholds abrogation of Art 370, seeks J&K elections

Verdict comes as a shot in the arm for the Union government and the Bharatiya Janata Party

- Utkarsh Anand

• Aug '19 Article 370 was abrogated by the Union government
• 30 Sep '24 Date by which SC wants ECI to hold elections in J&K

A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Monday unanimously endorsed the Union government’s August 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir, calling the move the “culmination of the process of integration” of the erstwhile state into the Union of India.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, Bhushan R Gavai and Surya Kant, further directed the Election Commission of India to conduct polls to the J&K legislative assembly by September 30, 2024, and asked the Centre to restore statehood to the region “as soon as possible”.