The Supreme Court said on Tuesday, 11 July, that it will begin hearing the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 -- which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) -- on 2 August.
Recap: Nearly four years after the government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) which led to the bifurcation of the State in 2019, India’s apex court will be taking up the petitions challenging the move.
Who is hearing the case? A 5-judge Constitution Bench – including CJI DY Chandrachud & Justices SK Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai & Surya Kant – on 11 July issued procedural directions on how to proceed with hearing the case.
The directions: "The hearing of the petitions shall commence on 2 August at 10.30 am and shall thereafter continue on a day to day basis except miscellaneous days," the judges said.
Will centre's affidavit count? Over the course of the hearing, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud emphasised that the recent affidavit submitted by the Centre, which reflects current status of Jammu and Kashmir following the revocation of its special status, would not impact the constitutional matters raised in the petitions.
He further clarified that the affidavit should not be relied upon for addressing those constitutional issues.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that the Centre’s affidavit pertains only to the present situation and no rejoinder was necessary.
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