Shillong, July 11: The Supreme Court has scheduled hearings for petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. The five-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, announced that the hearings will take place on a day-to-day basis, except for Mondays and Fridays.
India Today reported that in addition, the Supreme Court allowed IAS officer Shah Faesal and former student activist Shehla Rashid to withdraw as petitioners in the case challenging the abrogation.
The petitions in question challenge a presidential order issued on August 5, 2019, which revoked Article 370. This article had provided special rights and privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir from 1954 to 2019, in accordance with the Instrument of Accession.
Following the abrogation, the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act of 2019 came into effect, resulting in the bifurcation of the former state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.