SC to hear petition seeking early assembly polls in J-K on Thursday: NPP leader

The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday a writ petition seeking early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, National Panthers Party (NPP) leader Harsh Dev Singh said here.

Singh, a former minister and an advocate by profession, had moved the apex court for its indulgence in restoration of democratic process in the Union territory.

“The writ petition pertaining to the conduct of early assembly elections in J&K has been listed for hearing by the Supreme Court on July 6 (Thursday),” Singh said in a statement here.

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Quoting the "cause list" issued by the Supreme Court registry, he said the matter would be heard by a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud.

On June 19, Jammu and Kashmir completed five years without an elected government. It came under governor's rule on June 19, 2018 after the BJP withdrew its support to its coalition partner PDP. On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the state into two Union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The NPP leader said he was compelled to move the top court in view of the "uneasy silence" maintained by the Centre and the Election Commission of India over the issue of holding assembly polls in the Union territory.