New Delhi | The Supreme Court on Friday gave the Centre four weeks to file its response on a batch of pleas seeking restoration of statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran was hearing multiple pleas, including those filed by academician Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and socio-political activist Ahmad Malik, pressing for the implementation of the Centre's assurance to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir “at the earliest”.

The counsel appearing for the petitioners referred to an undertaking recorded in the Supreme Court's December 2023 judgment that upheld the abrogation of Article 370.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said consultations were underway with the Jammu and Kashmir administration regarding the restoration of statehood.

“This is a sui generis (unique) problem and there are wider concerns involved. Of course, there was a solemn undertaking but several factors need to be considered,” Mehta submitted.

The solicitor general alleged that there are some people who are spreading a specific narrative and giving a grim picture of the union territory.

On December 11, 2023, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the revocation of Article 370, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. It ordered that assembly elections be held in the union territory by September 2024 and its statehood be restored "at the earliest".

Last year, a plea was filed in the top court seeking directions to the Centre for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir within two months.