PM Modi hails SC verdict on Article 370 abrogation: ‘Not just a legal decision…’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the Supreme Court upholding the Centre's decision to scrap the Article 370 in 2019. The Article 370 granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile on the Rajya Sabha on Monday passed unanimously the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to microblogging site ‘X’ to call the Supreme Court's verdict ‘historic’. A five-judge constitution bench unanimously upheld the Modi government's 2019 decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution granting special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

PM Narendra Modi said it has vindicated the constitutional validity of the Centre's move and fortified the "very essence of unity".

"Today's decision of the Supreme Court on the abrogation of Article 370 is historic and it constitutionally upholds the decision taken by the Parliament of India on August 5, 2019. This is a declaration of hope, progress and unity for our brothers and sisters in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The Court with all its wisdom has protected the spirit of unity, which we citizens of India hold dear and value above all else.

I assure the patient people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh that our commitment to fulfill your dreams is unwavering. We are determined to ensure that the benefits of development reach not only you but also the most vulnerable and marginalized sections of the society who have suffered due to Article 370.

Today's decision is not just a legal decision; This is a ray of hope. A promise of a bright future and a testament to our collective commitment towards building a stronger and more united India. #NayaJammuKashmir" PM Narendra Modi wrote on X

The Supreme Court also upheld the validity of the decision to carve out the Union Territory of Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.

Upholding the government's decision on Article 370 of the Constitution, the Apex court also said steps should be taken to conduct the election to the Union Territory's Assembly by September 30 next year and directed that statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir be restored at the earliest.

Article 370 of the Constitution, which bestowed special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was a "temporary provision" and any interpretation of the provision cannot postulate that integration of J-K with India was temporary, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

The petitions challenging the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and the validity of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 that divided the erstwhile state into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were referred to the Constitution bench in 2019.