Art 370 Hearings Pushed to 10 December, SC Refuses Interim Orders

Constitution Bench to hear matter on 14 November, after Centre and petitioners traded written arguments.

The Supreme Court on Thursday, 14 November, refused to pass any interim orders on the pleas in the cases challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories (the ‘Abrogation-Reorganisation Petitions’).

The judges said that passing any interim order might lead to a delay in the matter and the apex court would settle all the issues at one go after hearing all the parties. Some of the petitioners had suggested a stay on operation of some of the provisions of the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, which bifurcated the former State, and came into force on 31 October.

The apex court was supposed to begin hearings in these cases on Thursday, but has now postponed this to 10 December, so that the Centre can respond to two new petitions which have been filed in the court questioning the constitutionality of the Centre’s actions since 5 August.