The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed the Center’s decision to revoke Article 370, which gave the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir unique status.

Additionally, the Election Commission of India was ordered by the Supreme Court to schedule assembly elections for Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also today celebrated the decision of the Supreme Court against the Center’s plan to repeal Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The Supreme Court rendered a decision on an array of appeals contesting the constitutionality of the legislation’s removal of J&K’s special status. 

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, PM Modi wrote, today’s Supreme Court verdict on the abrogation of Article 370 is historic and constitutionally upholds the decision taken by the Parliament of India on 5th August 2019; it is a resounding declaration of hope, progress and unity for our sisters and brothers in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

PM Modi also said, the Court, in its profound wisdom, has fortified the very essence of unity that we, as Indians, hold dear and cherish above all else.

The verdict today is not just a legal judgement; it is a beacon of hope, a promise of a brighter future and a testament to our collective resolve to build a stronger, more united India, he added.

JP Nadda, national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said the party was happy with the high court’s ruling.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is pleased with the Supreme Court’s ruling on Article 370. The Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench has upheld the decision to abolish Sections 370 and 35A, as well as the reasoning behind it, Nadda wrote on X.

Separatism and stone-pelting are now things of the past, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who said that following the abrogation, the rights of the impoverished and downtrodden have been restored.

Now, pleasant music and cultural tourism reverberate across the entire area. The integrity with Bharat is intact, and the ties of oneness have become stronger. Once more, Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh are and always will be part of our country, Amit said on Twitter.

Former CM Jammu and Kashmir and the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti, was placed under house arrest on Monday, December 11.

Her party said that before the Supreme Court’s decision on an array of cases contesting the repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special status, their chief had been kept under hosuse arrest.

Taking to X account (formerly Twitter) of PDP, her party twitted, even before Supreme Court judgement is pronounced, police has sealed the doors of the residence of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and put her under illegal house arrest.

According to officials, police prevented media from congregating close to the homes of National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah in Gupkar.

Journalists were not permitted anywhere near the NC leaders’ home, and a posse of police officers had been stationed at the Gupkar Road entrance.

Omar Abdullah moved out of his official house in October 2020 and now resides with his father.

However, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha referred to the reports as baseless and denied that Mufti and Omar Abdullah had been placed under house arrest.

This is completely unfounded. In Jammu and Kashmir, no one has been detained or placed under house arrest for political purposes. It’s a rumor-mongering attempt, he said.

Farooq Abdullah, Srinagar’s Member of Parliament (MP), is in Delhi for the current session of Parliament; his son is in the valley.

After the Centre enacted measures to deprive Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and divide the former state into two Union Territories (UTs)—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh—Mufti, Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah, and other leaders of the Kashmiri community were taken into custody on August 5, 2019.

The Income Tax Department on Sunday seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 351 crore from properties connected to Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu in Odisha and Jharkhand. As a result, it will be the highest-ever sum of black money taken in one operation by any agency.

Out of the 176 bags of cash that were taken during the raids, 140 have been counted by the officials thus far since they started on December 6.

The objective of the officials was to complete the counting of the cash found during the raids by Sunday.

The State Bank of India received up to 176 bags of cash, 140 of which have been tallied, according to a regional manager Bhagat Behera. Forty machines have been deployed, and fifty representatives from three banks are taking part in the counting procedure.

According to Behera, the officials are working to complete the counting by the end of Sunday because Monday would mark the start of regular business hours and the equipment need to be returned to the banks.

The authorities chose to bring in more cash-counting equipment and personnel on Sunday in order to expedite the procedure because there was a sizable amount of cash that needed to be counted.

Bhagat Behera claims that professionals are also present at the location to handle any potential technical problems with the counting devices.

In a number of images released on Sunday, officials could be seen counting bundles of cash that had been found on Dheeraj Sahu’s homes. The majority of the money was found in locations connected to Boudh Distillery Private Limited in Odisha.

Dheeraj Sahu apparently controls other such plants in Odisha, and his extended family is involved in a significant alcohol manufacturing enterprise.

Following the huge amount of financial recovery, the Congress has separated itself from its Dheeraj Sahu.