Supreme Court verdict on Article 370 upholds India's sovereignty and integrity: PM Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed the Supreme Court's verdict on the abrogation of Article 370 (which conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir) by saying the court upheld the sovereignty and integrity of India. In his blog published on Tuesday (Dec 12), Prime Minister Modi said that the Supreme Court rightly observed that his government's decision taken on August 5, 2019, was done with the purpose of enhancing constitutional integration and not disintegration.

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On Monday, the Supreme Court said that Article 370 was only temporary. A five-judge constitution bench of the court unanimously upheld the validity of the Modi government's 2019 decision to abrogate the article. "It can be garnered from the historical context for the inclusion of Article 370 and the placement of Article 370 in Part XXI of the Constitution that it is a temporary provision," the bench said.

Modi said that the court's verdict strengthened the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.

Here are the top points from PM's blog:

> Prime Minister Modi said on Tuesday that Article 370 and Article 35 (A) (which empowered the J&K legislature to define Kashmir's permanent residents and their special rights and privileges) were major obstacles. Both these articles ensured that the people of Jammu and Kashmir never got the rights and development that the rest of their fellow Indians got, Modi said.

> "Due to these Articles, a distance was created between people belonging to the same nation. Due to this distance, many people from our nation who wanted to work to solve the problems of Jammu and Kashmir were unable to do so even if they clearly felt the pain of the people there," Modi said.

> Modi said he had observed the Kashmir issue closely over the last several decades. "I had a nuanced understanding of the specifics and the complexities of the issue. Yet, I was crystal clear about one thing- that the people of Jammu and Kashmir want development and they want to contribute to the development of India based on their strengths and skills. They also want a better quality of life for their children, a life free from violence and uncertainty," he said.

> The Modi government gave primacy to three pillars while serving the Union Territory- understanding the citizens' concerns, building trust through supportive actions, and prioritising development, development and more development.

> The prime minister further said that to strengthen Jammu and Kashmir's development journey, "our Government ministers would frequently go there and interact with people directly." Modi pointed out that these frequent visits played a crucial role in building goodwill in the Union Territory.

> "From May 2014 to March 2019, over 150 ministerial visits took place. This is a record in itself. The special package of 2015 was a significant step in addressing the developmental needs of Jammu and Kashmir. It contained initiatives for infrastructure development, job creation, tourism promotion and support to the handicraft industry," he said.

> "The historical day of 5th August is etched in the hearts and minds of every Indian. Our Parliament passed the historic decision to abrogate Article 370. Since then, much has changed in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. The judicial court verdict came in December 2023 but seeing the wave of development across Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, the people’s court have given a resounding thumbs up to the Parliament’s decision of abolishing Articles 370 and 35(A) for four years now," he further said.