India’s top court on Monday upheld a move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to revoke the limited autonomy of Muslim-majority Kashmir, where an insurgency has raged for decades. The 2019 declaration was “a culmination of the process of integration and as such is a valid exercise of power”, the Supreme Court said in its verdict. The move was challenged by Kashmir’s pro-India political parties, the local Bar Association and individual litigants, culminating in Monday’s verdict. The court upheld removing the region’s autonomy, but said Jammu & Kashmir should be restored to the same statehood as any other Indian state — with no separate autonomy rights — “at the earliest and as soon as possible”. The court ordered state elections to take place by September 30, 2024.

Source: The Guardian December 11, 2023 16:21 UTC