In what can be termed as a historic step, Narendra Modi Government had abrogated Article 370 of Indian Constitution and the President of India has given the assent immediately. The Gazette Notification is also issued. Article 370 of the Indian constitution was an article that gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
This Article specifies that except for Defence, Foreign Affairs, Communications and ancillary matters (matters specified in the Instrument of Accession), the Indian Parliament needs the state government’s concurrence for applying all other laws. Thus, the state’s residents lived under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights, as compared to other Indians. Article 35A of the Indian Constitution, an article that empowered the Jammu and Kashmir state’s legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents was also repelled
After the abrogation of the Article, Jammu and Kashmir will be union territories with legislature and Ladakh to be union territory without legislature. Jammu and Kashmir will be just like any other state or Union Territory going further and will be bound by the Constitution of India without any exemptions.
Security Tightened in Jammu and Kashmir with the imposition of section 144 CrPC from midnight 5th August. Three former Chief Ministers of the State and the important leaders of various political parties were put under house arrest. Normally, abrogating Article 370 would need the consent of the State Assembly but J&K Assembly is dissolved a long ago and in that condition, Governor’s Assent is sufficient.
