Agencies
New Delhi, Aug 7: The Centre has issued a notification stating that Article 370 of the Constitution, providing special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, "shall cease to be operative".
The Law Ministry has come out with a gazette notification saying President Ram Nath Kovind has notified the revocation after the resolution to revoke Article 370 was passed by Lok Sabha yesterday, a day after it was passed by the Rajya Sabha.
The declaration by the President states, "In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of article 370 read with clause (1) of article 370 of the Constitution of India, the President, on the recommendation of Parliament, is pleased to declare that, as from the 6th August, 2019, all clauses of the said article 370 shall cease to be operative except the following which shall read as under, namely-- "370. All provisions of this Constitution, as amended from time to time, without any modifications or exceptions, shall apply to the State of Jammu and Kashmir notwithstanding anything contrary contained in article 152 or article 308 or any other article of this Constitution or any other provision of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir or any law, document, judgement, ordinance, order, by-law, rule, regulation, notification, custom or usage having the force of law in the territory of India, or any other instrument, treaty or agreement as envisaged under article 363 or otherwise.
This means the separate constitution of Jammu and Kashmir ceases to be in operation in the state. With state constitution rendered inoperative and Articles 1-2 applicable to Jammu and Kashmir, the central government got the power to redraw the map of the state.
The Union Territory of Jammu-Kashmir will have a legislature. Its new status will be comparable with that of Delhi and Puducherry, only two other Union Territories to have legislatures of their own. The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir will now become Lieutenant Governor.
Ladakh will have a separate identity as Union Territory much like five other centrally administered areas which don't have separate legislatures of their own. Its status will be comparable with that of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh and others. |
