LI Network
Published on: 11 July 2023 at 13:35 IST
The Supreme Court’s Constitution bench is scheduled to hear pleas against the abrogation of Article 370 on 2 August 2023. The bench, consisting of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant, will conduct daily hearings except on Mondays and Fridays.
All parties involved in the case have been instructed to submit all relevant documents and written submissions by July 27. The court has also appointed Prasanna and Kanu Agrawal as nodal counsel to prepare compilations for convenience. Two petitioners, Shah Faesal and Shehla Rashid, have been allowed to remove their names from the court’s records. The case will now be titled “In Re: Article 370 of the Constitution.”
The Central government’s latest affidavit will not be relied upon to argue on the aspect of constitutionality, as per the government’s statement. The government defended its decision to abrogate Article 370, stating that peace, progress, and prosperity have prevailed in the region since then. Various petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir are pending before the court. In August 2019, the government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into two Union territories.
A request to refer the matter to a larger bench was declined by a five-judge Constitution bench in March 2020. Numerous individuals and organizations have filed petitions challenging the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. This act divided Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories.