SC verdict on abrogation of Article 370 explained LIVE:
A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud had reserved its verdict in the case on September 5 this year. The decision and its context is explained in the article.
The Supreme Court announced its verdict today (December 11) on the central government’s 2019 move to amend Article 370 of the Constitution. With this repeal, the special status given to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir ended. The court considered the constitutional order abrogating Article 370 as valid.
A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud had reserved its verdict on 23 petitions in the case on September 5 this year after a 16-day hearing. The bench also included Justice SK Kaul, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai and Justice Surya Kant.
CJI DY Chandrachud said that Jammu and Kashmir has no internal sovereignty after merger with India. He said there was prima facie no case that the President’s 2019 orders were wrong or an undue exercise of power. While the court said the reorganization of the erstwhile state into Union territories in 2019 was a temporary step, it directed the Center to restore statehood and hold assembly elections.
Justice Kaul, concurring, recommended that a Truth and Reconciliation Commission be set up in Jammu and Kashmir to acknowledge the acts of alleged violations committed by the state and its actors in the region.