Article 370 abrogation: Supreme Court seeks Centre’s reply on pleas challenging decision

The Supreme Court of India has asked the Central Government to file its response on the petitions challenging the annulment of Article 370 which gave special status to the border state within four weeks. 

The court said that it will take up the matter for further hearing on November 14.

A five-judge constitution bench passed the order after Attorney General (AG) KK Venugopal, representing the government, sought more time in this regard. 

The bench headed by Justice N V Ramana and comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant was hearing clubbed petitions against the dilution of Article 370 and the restriction by the government, including communication blockade, curbs on media, detention of minors and others. 

The government had on August 5 scrapped the provision of the article, which took away the special rights enjoyed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The UTs will come into being on October 31.