Current:Home > Contact-usIndia’s Supreme Court upholds government’s decision to remove disputed Kashmir’s special status-LoTradeCoin
India’s Supreme Court upholds government’s decision to remove disputed Kashmir’s special status
View Date:2024-12-24 00:04:56
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — India’s top court on Monday upheld a 2019 decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to strip disputed Jammu and Kashmir’s special status as a semi-autonomous region with a separate constitution and inherited protections on land and jobs.
The five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the region’s special status had been a “temporary provision” and that removing it in 2019 was constitutionally valid.
The unprecedented move also divided the region into two federal territories, Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir, both ruled directly by the central government without a legislature of their own. As a result, the Muslim-majority region is now run by unelected government officials and has lost its flag, criminal code and constitution.
But Chief Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud said the government has promised to restore Jammu-Kashmir’s statehood and should do so as soon as possible. Ladakh, however, will remain a federal territory.
He also ordered the country’s election commission to hold local legislative polls in the region by next Sept. 30.
The ruling is expected to boost the electoral prospects of Modi’s governing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in national polls next year. The 2019 move resonated in much of India, where the Modi government was cheered by supporters for fulfilling a long-held Hindu nationalist pledge to scrap the Muslim-majority region’s special status.
But the judgment will disappoint many in Kashmir, including the region’s main pro-India Kashmiri politicians who had petitioned the Supreme Court to reverse the deeply unpopular decision, which was imposed under an unprecedented security and communication clampdown that lasted many months.
The court’s hearings began in August and included extensive arguments and discussions on the move’s constitutional validity.
veryGood! (3821)
Related
- AIT Community Introduce
- Powerball winning numbers for October 2: Jackpot rises to $275 million
- Toyota Tacoma transmission problems identified in 2024 model, company admits
- Residents of landslide-stricken city in California to get financial help
- 15 new movies you'll want to stream this holiday season, from 'Emilia Perez' to 'Maria'
- Tina Knowles Details Protecting Beyoncé and Solange Knowles During Rise to Fame
- Indiana man sentenced for neglect after rat attack on his infant son
- What is the Google Doodle today? Popcorn kernels run around in Wednesday's Doodle
- 2 striking teacher unions in Massachusetts face growing fines for refusing to return to classroom
- Why Isn’t the IRA More of a Political Winner for Democrats?
Ranking
- Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon quit X, formerly Twitter: 'Time for me to leave'
- Kaine and Cao face off in only debate of campaign for US Senate seat from Virginia
- Messi, Inter Miami to open playoffs at home on Oct. 25. And it’ll be shown live in Times Square
- Brittany Cartwright Claps Back at Jax Taylor’s Response About Being Legally Married
- She was found dead while hitchhiking in 1974. An arrest has finally been made.
- Luke Bryan Explains Why Beyoncé Was Snubbed at 2024 CMA Awards
- Former Iowa mayor gets probation for role in embezzlement case
- Mark Consuelos Promises Sexy Wife Kelly Ripa That He'll Change This Bedroom Habit
Recommendation
-
Brianna LaPaglia Reacts to Rumors Dave Portnoy Paid Her $10 Million for a Zach Bryan Tell-All
-
Joaquin Phoenix says 'Joker 2' movie musical drew inspiration from KISS
-
BioLab fire: Shelter-in-place continues; Atlanta residents may soon smell chlorine
-
Down 80%: Fidelity says X has plummeted in value since Elon Musk's takeover
-
Michigan soldier’s daughter finally took a long look at his 250 WWII letters
-
Mormon faith pushes ahead with global temple building boom despite cool reception in Las Vegas
-
Guard charged in 2 deaths at troubled Wisconsin prison pleads no contest to reduced charge
-
NHL point projections, standings predictions: How we see 2024-25 season unfolding