Uddhav welcomes SC ruling

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has welcomed the Supreme Court ruling on Article 370 and wondered whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would "guarantee" the safe return of Kashmiri Pandits to their erstwhile home state.

He demanded that elections be held soon in Jammu and Kashmir as directed by the apex court.

The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the Centre's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 bestowing special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and directed restoration of statehood "at the earliest" as well as elections to the assembly by September 30 next year.

"We welcome the verdict of the Supreme Court. We had supported the move when Article 370 was scrapped. We also welcome the SC's directives to conduct elections by next September. We hope that elections are held soon and people get to vote in a free atmosphere," Thackeray told reporters on the premises of Vidhan Bhavan here.