Supreme Court on J&K Statehood: ‘Ground Realities, Including Pahalgam Incident, Cannot Be Overlooked’
While hearing a petition seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the Supreme Court on Thursday stressed that the situation on the ground must be taken into account, pointing out that incidents like the one in Pahalgam cannot be ignored.
“You have to consider the ground realities; what happened in Pahalgam cannot be brushed aside,” observed Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai.
The remark came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, reiterated that statehood would be restored after elections, citing the region’s unique circumstances. “This is not the right state to muddy the waters,” he said, requesting eight weeks to seek instructions.
The bench, comprising CJI Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, was hearing a plea by college lecturer Zahoor Ahmed Bhat and activist Khurshid Ahmad Malik, who argued that the continued denial of statehood is adversely impacting the rights of J&K residents.
