Overview

• A bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran heard multiple applications seeking enforcement of the assurance to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
• Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said consultations with the J&K administration are underway, called the issue sui generis, and flagged security considerations including the recent Pahalgam attack.
• Petitioners, including Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, Irfan Hafiz Lone and Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, argued the continuing delay violates the assurance and raises concerns about federalism and citizens’ rights.
• Applicants noted that Union Territory assembly elections concluded on October 8, 2024, yet statehood has not been restored despite the Supreme Court’s December 2023 judgment.
• The court recorded the Centre’s submissions and listed the matter after four weeks, as political voices in J&K pressed for restoration, including a call for a hunger strike from October 18 by the JKPCC.