Omar Abdullah Hopes Supreme Court Sets Deadline for J&K Statehood Restoration

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed strong hope that the Supreme Court will set a clear deadline for restoring statehood to the Union Territory when it hears the case on October 10, 2025. Speaking to reporters in Srinagar on August 25, 2025, Abdullah emphasized that his government has been pushing for statehood since taking office, highlighting the urgency of the matter.

J&K lost its statehood in August 2019 when the Central Government revoked Article 370, splitting the former state into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Since then, the region has been governed under a limited administrative framework, with the Lieutenant Governor holding significant powers. Abdullah’s government, which took office after the 2024 assembly elections, made restoring statehood its top priority. The first cabinet meeting passed a resolution demanding statehood, which Abdullah personally handed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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The Supreme Court, in its 2023 ruling on the Article 370 abrogation, directed the Centre to restore statehood “at the earliest.” However, no concrete steps have been taken yet, prompting Abdullah to pin his hopes on the court’s upcoming hearing. He noted that the 2024 assembly elections, held after the Supreme Court set a deadline, were a success, proving that J&K is ready for statehood. “If the court hadn’t set a deadline for elections, I might not be CM today,” he said, urging a similar time-bound order for statehood.

Restoring statehood would give J&K’s elected government more powers to make decisions on development, security, and governance, reducing the current reliance on the Lieutenant Governor. Abdullah has criticized the “dual power structure” in J&K, calling it a system “built for failure.” He believes statehood is essential for effective governance and meeting the expectations of J&K’s people, who voted in record numbers in the 2024 elections.

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CM also launched a signature campaign during his Independence Day speech to gather public support for statehood, which is ongoing and will be presented to the Central Government and the Supreme Court. He has also reached out to political parties with significant presence in Parliament, urging them to support a bill for statehood restoration in the Monsoon session.

The delay in restoring statehood has sparked frustration. Some, like PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, argue that the focus on statehood alone ignores the larger issue of restoring Article 370 and J&K’s special status. Others, including BJP leaders, claim the statehood demand is a political tactic. A recent Supreme Court remark linking incidents like the Pahalgam terror attack to statehood delays drew Abdullah’s regret, as he insisted that J&K’s elected government has proven its ability to maintain peace

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As the October 10 hearing approaches, Abdullah remains hopeful that the Supreme Court will act decisively. “We’ve waited long enough,” he said, stressing that terms like “at the earliest” should not stretch into years.