Centre tells Apex Court that abrogation of Article 370 is irreversible

The Central government on Thursday (January 23) told the Supreme Court that the abrogation of Article 370 allowed the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the Indian union and said that the move is irreversible.

A five-Judge Constitution Bench of Justices NV Ramana, SK Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant continued hearing various plea challenging the abrogation of Article 370, which conferred special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Attorney General KK Venugopal submitted how accession of the new Union Territory to Indian union took place and said that “it (abrogation of Article 370) is irreversible.”

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“I want to show that sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir was indeed temporary. We are a Union of States,” Venugopal told the court.

Advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for one of the petitioners, said, “A state was demoted to the status of a Union Territory using Article 3 of the Constitution of India for the first time. If they (Centre do this for one State, they can do it for any State.”

Dhavan said that the Central government deliberately imposed President’s Rule in the erstwhile state and pointed to a map of Jammu and Kashmir. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who was representing Jammu and Kashmir, interrupted Dhavan and said that “what he is saying is irrelevant.”

On this, Dhavan replied, “If Attorney General could bring (Jawaharlal) Nehru in his historical trip, I can surely show milords a map. I do not have to take your permission.”

The top court on Wednesday also heard petitions which were filed after the central government scrapped Article 370 in August last year and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.