Pahalgam-like incident can't be ignored: SC on J&K statehood

The apex court on Thursday remarked that the "ground situation" in Jammu and Kashmir must be factored in before restoring its statehood. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai verbally observed that "incidents like Pahalgam cannot be ignored". The bench also sought a response from the Centre on the matter.

The bench, at the request of solicitor general Tushar Mehta, granted the Centre eight weeks to furnish its response. Mehta said the Centre had assured statehood after elections. "There is a peculiar position in this part of our country. I don't know why this issue is being agitated now. This particular state is not the correct state to muddy the water," he added.

Representing petitioners, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan contended that the court in its 2023 judgment, while upholding the abrogation of Article 370, had trusted the word of the Centre that statehood will be granted to J&K. Hence, that bench had refrained from deciding the issue. "It has been 21 months since that judgment," he added.


The plea by college teacher Zahoor Ahmed Bhat and activist Khurshid Ahmad Malik contends that failure to restore statehood is gravely affecting the rights of people. The miscellaneous application argues that since the assembly elections were conducted peacefully, there would be no security concerns in case SC passed a direction to restore statehood.