SC: Revocation of Article 370 ok , hold polls by Sept, 2024

NT Correspondent

New Delhi | Srinagar: In a significant victory for the Modi government, the Supreme Court on Monday unanimously upheld the 2019 revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir even as it ordered Assembly elections there by September end next year and restoration of statehood "at the earliest".

Holding that Article 370, was a temporary provision, a Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said the President of India was empowered to revoke the measure in the absence of the Constituent Assembly of the erstwhile state whose term expired in 1957.

Scrapping Article 370 has been among the core issues of BJP's agenda and had been consistently included in its election manifestos.

The apex court verdict also comes as a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The apex court also upheld the validity of the Centre's decision to carve out the union territory of Ladakh.