A constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories, news agency PTI reported. The five-judge Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant reserved the judgment after hearing the arguments for 16 days.


National Conference leader Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi, who is a petitioner in the Article 370 case in the Supreme Court, told news agency ANI that he was satisfied with the arguments done. "All aspects were argued convincingly," he added.






The final day of the hearings witnessed rejoinder arguments presented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Gopal Subramanium, Rajeev Dhavan, Zaffar Shah, Dushyant Dave, and others, PTI reported.


The apex court has granted a window of three days for any lawyer representing the petitioners or respondents who wish to file a written submission. However, the court stipulated that these submissions must not exceed two pages in length.


Throughout the course of the 16-day hearing process, the Supreme Court heard arguments from various legal luminaries. Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, senior advocates Harish Salve, Rakesh Dwivedi, and V Giri presented arguments on behalf of the Union government and the intervenors who defended the abrogation of Article 370.


The legal proceedings delved into several critical issues, including the constitutional validity of the Centre’s decision on August 5, 2019, to abrogate Article 370.


The validity of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, which led to the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, was also a subject of intense scrutiny.


Furthermore, lawyers addressed the challenges mounted against the imposition of the Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir on June 20, 2018, and the subsequent imposition of the President’s rule on December 19, 2018, with an extension on July 3, 2019.


This complex legal battle emerged from several petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. This historic move divided the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, namely Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The case was referred to a Constitution bench in 2019.


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