29 August, Srinagar: The Centre notified the Supreme Court on Tuesday that Ladakh will continue to be a Union Territory; nevertheless, he would make a supportive declaration about Jammu and Kashmir the following day.
During the Supreme Court’s hearing on a group of appeals contesting the repeal of Article 370, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, who is the Center’s representative, made the remarks.
SG Mehta was reportedly requested by the Supreme Court to seek guidance from the highest authority on the timeline for restoring J&K’s status as a state. In response, SG Mehta said: “I have received guidance. It is stated in the instructions that UT is a temporary function. But the day after tomorrow, I’ll say something constructive. Ladakh will stay UT.
They will meet in person and issue a statement, he said. “I must inform your lords that local body elections were held in Ladakh in 2020, and that Ladakh is divided into two units, Leh and Kargil,” he said.
Additionally, he said that Kargil would have elections on September 10, 2023, and that the polls for the Ladakh independent hill development council in Leh will be conducted in October 2023 for 26 members.
SG Mehta read aloud the remark made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a Lok Sabha discussion before to the passage of the 2019 bill as he continued to make his case.
“As far as the UT question is concerned, the current government does not mind conferring the status of a State (on J&K) at the appropriate time, once the situation returns to normalcy.”
“If you see Articles 3 and 4 holistically, and I’m saying this academically- there is nothing if we read as a common scheme of reorganisation- there is nothing that says one state for a good reason, can be converted into a UT,” he said.
