Indian Gov tells SC that restoring pre-August 2019 status in Kashmir would harm national interest

The central government has told the supreme court that any interference by the court to restore the pre-August 2019 position will be opposed to the public interest.

As per Hindustan Times, “Article 370, in its previous form, existed merely to temporarily manage the situation and ensure that a wider time frame is provided to complete this process of further integration and uniformity qua J&K. The transitory/temporary provisions under Article 370 were framed with limited purpose, having a limited life and were to be kept on the books till the constitutional parity with other units of the Union of India is decided to be achieved,” said the Centre.

The centre said that Article 370 was not an embodiment of any special status to J&K rather, only a “stop-gap arrangement” in order to achieve what had been completed for other states by 1950 itself.

“The complete integration and uniformity remained incomplete for the erstwhile State of J&K.. It was observed over the years that the existing regime under Article 370, and the exceptions/modifications carried out to other provisions of the Constitution of India by Presidential Orders were impeding, rather than enabling or facilitating, the full integration of the State of J&K with the rest of the country, which was neither in the national interest nor in the interest of the erstwhile State of J&K,” maintained the Centre, as per the report.

The centre said that the restoration of pre-2019 status will not only be against the national interest and the well-being of J&K, but will also lay the doors open for political, social, and economic uncertainties in the region, the Centre added in its submissions through the law officers.