India's Supreme Court on Monday, December 11, upheld the government's decision to end the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir, which has long been subject to insurgency.
The 2019 decision, which allowed New Delhi to directly administer the Muslim-majority region of Jammu and Kashmir, represented “a culmination of the integration process and therefore a valid exercise of power,” the country's highest court said. It was a “historic verdict”, “a ray of hope, the promise of a better future and a testament to our shared determination to build a stronger and more united India,” said First Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday X.
India's Supreme Court also ordered elections to be held in Jammu and Kashmir on September 30, 2024, in the hope that the Indian state would be brought on equal footing with others “as soon as possible.”
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The revocation of Kashmir's limited autonomy was accompanied by the imposition of direct power from New Delhi, mass arrests, a total shutdown of that state and a months-long communications blackout as India increased its forces in the region to contain protests.
The decision was challenged by Kashmir's pro-India political parties, the local bar association and individuals, leading to Monday's verdict. Mr Modi's authoritarian policies have been fiercely controversial in Kashmir but have been widely celebrated across India as the insurgency that left tens of thousands dead for decades has largely subsided.