The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear a plea on August 14, 2025, regarding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The hearing will be before a two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran.

The plea has been filed by two residents of Jammu and Kashmir—Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, an academician, and Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, a socio-political activist—who are seeking directions to the Central Government to restore Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, which was converted into a Union Territory in 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370.

The background to this matter includes the Supreme Court's unanimous verdict on December 11, 2023, which upheld the revocation of Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The Court then directed that assembly elections be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir by September 2024 and stated that statehood should be restored "at the earliest." The assembly and Lok Sabha elections were held peacefully without incidents of violence or security concerns in the region.

The petitioners argue that the continued delay in restoration of statehood severely undermines the functioning of a democratically elected government in Jammu and Kashmir, thereby violating the core principle of federalism, which is part of the basic structure of the Indian Constitution.

They emphasise that Jammu and Kashmir has been operating as a Union Territory for nearly five years, which has resulted in developmental impediments and has compromised the democratic rights of its citizens.

Further, the plea points out that despite the assurances made by the Solicitor General representing the Centre that statehood would be restored (except for Ladakh, which remains a Union Territory), no concrete steps or timelines have been provided by the government for this restoration. The petitioners urge the Supreme Court to issue clear directions to the Centre for restoring the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir in a timely and definite manner.

Thus, this hearing is crucial as it presses for the fulfilment of the Supreme Court’s earlier directive and the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, which the petitioners contend is essential for upholding democratic governance and federal principles in the region.

This case picks up from the significant constitutional and political developments following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories in 2019, underscoring the ongoing legal and political discourse on the region's status and governance.

Agencies