SC to Revisit Article 370 After Three Years; Activist Shehla Rashid Withdraws from Case

New Delhi, July 11, 2023: The Supreme Court gears up for a pivotal moment as a Constitution Bench reopens a series of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the subsequent bifurcation of the state into two Union territories. Chaired by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, the five-judge bench, comprising Justices S.K. Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, and Surya Kant, commenced proceedings and set the next hearing date for August 2.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Chandrachud instructed all concerned parties to complete procedural formalities by July 27. He emphasized that no documents would be accepted after this date, urging all relevant information to be included before the deadline. The Union’s recently submitted affidavit was deemed irrelevant to the constitutional issue at hand and will not be considered during the decision-making process.

Two notable individuals, IAS officer Shah Faesal and activist Shehla Rashid, expressed their intention to withdraw their pleas against the abrogation of Article 370. The apex court granted their request, allowing their names to be removed from the petitioners’ records.

This significant case has been pending before the Supreme Court for nearly four years. In March 2020, a previous five-judge Constitution Bench rejected the petitioners’ appeal to refer the matter to a larger bench of seven judges. Chief Justice Ramana, who headed the earlier bench, and Justice Subhash Reddy, both of whom have since retired, have been replaced by Chief Justice Chandrachud and Justice Khanna in the current bench.

As the country awaits this landmark hearing, all eyes turn toward the Supreme Court, anticipating a definitive resolution to the intricate legal questions surrounding Article 370.