Supreme Court to hear petition against Article 370 today

By NewsGram Staff Writer

The apex court will hear a petition filed by an NGO last year against Article 370 today. The Centre and the State will be putting forth their responses to the PIL that challenges Article 35A of the Indian Constitution.

Article 370 grants special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, and Article 35A allows the state of Jammu and Kashmir to grant special privileges and rights to permanent residents.

The ruling parties in Jammu and Kashmir, the Bhartiya Janata Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, have contradictory views regarding the issue. While the BJP wants to abolish Article 370, depriving the state of its special status, the PDP wants to retain it.

The repealing of Article 370 can only be done with an amendment in the Constitution, which would require a two-third majority in the Parliament. The BJP, when it was in the opposition, had promised to abolish this legal provision.