New Delhi/Agencies/ August 29: The Central Government on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that “the status of Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory is only temporary and it will be restored to statehood, but Ladakh would remain a Union Territory”.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said a positive statement would be made soon. The response of the Solicitor General came on a query posed by a five-Judge Constitution Bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai and Surya Kant about the roadmap and timeframe for restoring the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We need a statement from the Central Government. Is there a time frame in view? The restoration of democracy is a vital component of our nation. Please tell us what is the roadmap for this,” asked the bench while hearing a batch of pleas challenging abrogation of the Article 370.

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The Solicitor General, after taking instructions from the Centre, informed the Bench, “I have taken instructions and the instructions are that the Union Territory (of J-K) is not a permanent feature and I will make a positive statement the day after tomorrow. Ladakh would remain a Union Territory.

During the hearing of the case, CJI Chandrachud questioned whether Parliament was empowered to convert a state into a Union Territory. When the Solicitor General referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act in this regard, the Bench asked if the Union Territory status of the region was permanent. To this, the Solicitor General replied in the negative. “I would eventually show how the Central government’s intention is to restore Statehood and conduct elections,” Mehta added.

The Constitution Bench is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories. On August 5, 2019, the Central Government announced the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir granted under Article 370 and split the region into two Union Territories.