INDIA: It’s been three years since the Indian Constitution granted Jammu and Kashmir a special autonomous status within the Indian union. On this day, the state was dichotomised into two Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir along with Ladakh.
The National Conference wanted to challenge Article 370 abrogation by moving to the Supreme court. They urged the CJI, NV Ramana, to form a bench to hear the pleas. The petitioners included NC Lok Sabha MPs Mohammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi, advocate ML Sharma, CPI(M) leader Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, and retired bureaucrats like Amitabha Pande and Gopal Pillai.
The apex body of law transferred the 5-judge Constitution Bench to a 7-judge bench. The case has been ongoing since 2019, but the COVID pandemic received a pause.
Amid this jurisdiction fight, six political parties joined to form the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration in August 2020. The main purpose of the alliance is for the restoration of Articles 370. This incident occurred after former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were released months after confinement.
Reportedly, according to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the capacity of the J&K Assembly has risen from 83 to 90. Jammu got six new seats, while Kashmir got only one single seat. Moreover, Jammu and Kashmir will enjoy 43 and 47 seats proportionately. There are even 7-9 seats reserved for SCs and STs.
Abrogation of Article 370
The legislative house, Rajya Sabha, passed a Statutory Resolution recommending the abrogation of article 370 under article 370 on 5 Aug 2019. On the second day, the president passed the resolution and gave Jammu and Kashmir special status.
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