Article 370 abrogation: Hearing of petitions to begin from August 2

Petitioners Shah Faesal and Shehla Rashid have withdrawn their pleas after nearly four years of the abrogation of Article 370

The Supreme Court (SC) stated that it will be hearing petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution on a day-to-day basis starting from August 2, barring Mondays and Fridays.

The constitution bench will be led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud and comprises Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant. The five-judge bench informed all parties that all additional documents, compilations, and written submissions had to be filed by July 27.

The order released by the SC also added that the statements made in the latest affidavit filed by the Centre would have no bearing on the constitutional question and it would not be relied upon."

In other developments, two petitioners, Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who is leading the petitioners challenging the constitutional validity of abrogation of Article 370, said two petitioners -- IAS officer Shah Faesal and Shehla Rashid Shora -- have filed an application for withdrawal of their names from the list of petitioners, which the Court has allowed.

With the withdrawal of Shah Faesal and Shehla Rashid pleas, there are still over 20 petitions pending before the SC that challenge the government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution, which resulted in the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and instead bifurcated into two Union Territories.

(With agency inputs)