What is Article 370?
In 1949, Article 370 was added to India's Constitution, giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). This meant they had their own rules for some things, like who could live there and own property. The Indian government still handled foreign affairs, defence, and communications for the state.
In 2019, the Indian government removed Article 370. After this, J&K followed the Indian constitution like other states.
A law called the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 was introduced. The Bill was passed to become an Act that divided J&K into the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh. Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) of India gave its decision on the removal of Article 370.
What did the Supreme Court of India say?
The Supreme Court recently said the government was right to remove Article 370 in 2019. They confirmed that Article 370 was temporary, so the decision to remove it was correct.
The government also mentioned that they want to bring back Jammu and Kashmir's statehood as soon as possible. The Supreme Court has instructed the Election Commission of India to prepare for elections in J&K by 30th September 2024. This decision was made by a group of judges led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud.
What was the reaction to the decision?
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members and many others were happy about the decision. But some people didn't agree. They said the decision by the Supreme Court was not good for the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Some opposition party leaders also said the government should have elections in J&K soon and bring back J&K's statehood.
