New Delhi, Aug 31: Elections in Jammu and Kashmir can be held “anytime from now” as the work on updation of voters list is almost over, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday but remained non-committal about setting a time-frame for restoration of statehood to the union territory (UT).
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud that the UT status of Jammu and Kashmir is a “temporary thing” and it is for the Election Commission of India and the union territory’s election commission to decide when the elections for panchayats, municipal bodies and the legislative assembly will be held. “The central government is ready to hold elections anytime from now… It is for the Election Commission of India and the Election Commission of the UT to take the call on which election will take place first and how. The updating process of the voters’ list is almost complete and will be over in a month,” he told the bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant.
The solicitor general said as far as restoration of statehood to the union territory of J-K is concerned, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already made statements in Parliament that it will be done in due course. “The UT is a temporary thing in J-K. We are dealing with an extremely extraordinary situation. The exact time frame for restoration of complete statehood in J-K cannot be given at the moment. It might take some time. Various steps are being taken to restore the status of the state in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mehta said at the outset.
The central government made the submissions in response to the apex court’s August 29 observations on restoration of electoral democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. Mehta, on the 13th day of hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 which accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, said, “Peace does not merely come by policing.” He told the court about the various steps the Union government has taken for restoration of normalcy in the region.
“Large-scale investment proposals post abrogation of Article 370 have been received, which include Rs 28,400 crore of central sector schemes for industrial development, Rs 78,000 crore of private sector and the actual investment done in 2022-23 is Rs 2,153 crore,” he said.
Mehta said out of the 53 projects worth Rs 58,477 crore sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, 32 have been completed.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Mohd Akbar Lone, objected to the bench recording the figures put forth by the central government, saying it should not be taken on record as it will “affect the mind” of the court adjudicating the constitutional validity of abrogation of Article 370.
CJI Chandrachud assured Sibal that the data given by the solicitor general will not have any bearing on the adjudication of the constitutional issue. (PTI)
