JAMMU: Farooq Abdullah, the president of the National Conference, stated on Monday that the reason Article 370 was put into place was because of worries that Punjabis could move and settle in Jammu and Kashmir following division. We brought nothing but Article 370. Maharaja Hari Singh introduced and put into effect this in 1947. Speaking at a press conference in Jammu, he stated, “It was only out of fear that the people of Punjab would come here after partition and settle down and the poor people of our state would sell their land at lesser rates.” Abdullah claimed that Article 370 was enacted by Maharaja Hari Singh in order to save the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “After the division, Maharaja Hari Singh enacted Article 370 to protect the impoverished residents of Jammu and Kashmir. He solely gave the jobs to J&K and Ladakh residents. He stated, “This was Article 370.” The Union Government’s decision to repeal Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special status, was supported by the Supreme Court earlier in December 2023. On appeals contesting the government’s attempt to repeal Article 370, a five-judge Constitution bench that included Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, and Surya Kant rendered their decision. The Supreme Court declared that Article 370 was only a provision for the time being.“The Maharaja’s declaration declared that the Indian Constitution will take precedence. This results in the termination of the Instrument of Accession paragraph. The State was in a state of war, so Article 370 was a temporary solution. Article 370 is a provision that is temporary, as indicated by a literal reading as well,” the Court stated. It said that no decision made by the Centre on behalf of a State could be challenged in court, as this would bring the State’s administration to a complete halt. In August 2019, the federal government declared that Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 would be revoked, dividing the area into two union territories. In its ruling, the Supreme Court mandated that Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections take place by September of the following year.
