Srinagar, Aug. 14 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response from the Centre within eight weeks on a plea seeking the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The matter was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran. The plea, filed in October 2024, was brought before the court by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing academic Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and social activist Khurshaid Ahmad Malik.

During the hearing, Sankaranarayanan urged the court to list all pending petitions regarding the demand for statehood together. "If an executory aspect is being sought then a bench may be constituted and a timeline may be fixed," he submitted.

Respondin...