New Delhi, February 17, 2023 (PPI-OT):The Supreme Court of India has said that it will take a decision on the early listing of petitions challenging the Narendra Modi-led Indian government’s decision to abrogate Article 370, which granted special status to Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, today, took note of the submissions of senior advocate Raju Ramchandran, appearing for one of the parties, that the pleas needed an urgent hearing.

“All right. I will take a call on it,” the CJI (Chief Justice of India) said. On 14 December, last year also, the pleas for urgent listing were mentioned before the bench by Radha Kumar, an academic and author, who had intervened in pending petitions. Earlier on 25 April and 23 September, last year, a bench headed by the then CJI N V Ramana, now retired, had agreed to list for hearing the pleas challenging the Modi regime’s decision to abrogate the Article 370.

The apex court will have to re-constitute a five-judge bench to hear the pleas as ex-CJI Ramana and Justice R Subhash Reddy, who were part of the five-judge bench which had heard the pleas, have retired. The bench also included Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, B R Gavai and Surya Kant.

Several petitions challenging the Indian government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and the introduction of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which split IIOJK into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh – were referred to a Constitution Bench headed by Justice Ramana in 2019 by the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi.

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