SC verdict on Art 370

THE Supreme Court has upheld the Centre’s 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370, which had bestowed special status on Jammu and Kashmir. The court has also validated the government’s step to bifurcate the state into the union territories of J&K and Ladakh. The CJI has rightly observed that Article 370 was a temporary provision and the President was empowered to revoke it in the absence of the Constituent Assembly of the erstwhile state. The verdict, described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a ‘resounding declaration of hope, progress and unity for our sisters and brothers in J&K and Ladakh,’ is expected to put an end to the prolonged debate on the contentious Article. More importantly, it should pave the way for the restoration of J&K’s statehood and the resumption of the long-delayed electoral process.

The apex court has directed the government to restore statehood ‘at the earliest’ and hold Assembly elections by September 30 next year. The Centre had told the SC more than three months ago that it was prepared to conduct elections ‘anytime now’ in Jammu and Kashmir, even though it had stopped short of specifying a time frame for converting the UT back into a state.

The Centre must not wait till September 2024 to hold the polls in J&K. It can work out a timeline coinciding with the Lok Sabha elections, which are due in April-May. If the restoration of statehood is done before the commencement of the electoral exercise, it will send out a positive message to various political parties and the voters. In recent years, the Centre has been largely successful in bringing down the number of terror incidents in J&K. Now, the fillip provided by the SC verdict should spur the government to take more confidence-building measures to ensure long-term peace and development in the state-turned-UT.