Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on August 29 apprised the Supreme Court that the Union government will restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) however Ladakh will continue to remain a Union Territory.
Such an assurance was given after Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud asked the Solicitor General to take instructions from the Union government on whether there is a definite timeline for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood while underscoring that the restoration of democracy is vital.
“We will make a positive statement the day after tomorrow (August 31) on Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh will, however, remain a Union Territory,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court in the post-lunch session of the hearing. He said elections in Ladakh would be over in September 2023.
Notably, CJI Chandrachud pointed out that the wide chasm between the absolute autonomy of J&K as it existed on January 26, 1950, and its complete integration as brought about on August 5, 2019, had been substantially bridged in the interim period.
‘..It is obvious that a substantial degree of integration had already taken place between 1950 to 2019– in 69 years. And therefore what was done in 2019, was it really a logical step forward to achieve that integration?’, the CJI asked.
