NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Monday take a call on the central government's move to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. A five-member constitution bench chaired by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud will deliver the verdict. It is interesting to note that the verdict comes when Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, a member of the bench and a Kashmiri Pandit, is about to retire on December 25.

Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status was not only abrogated, but Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were divided into Union Territories. There are 23 pleas against the centre’s move. The hearing lasted 16 days.

Arguments arose about whether the central government had the authority to take action. The petitioners alleged that the people of Kashmir were not consulted. The Center had responded that Jammu and Kashmir had returned to normalcy after the three-decade-long conflict had subsided. Youth for Panun, an organization of Kashmiri Pandits, reached the Kashmir court in support of the Centre.

Kashmir on alert
Security has been tightened in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the verdict. A meeting of top officials in Srinagar assessed the situation. If problems arise, it will be dealt with strictly. National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah, who opposes the central action, said that he expects a favorable verdict for Kashmir.