New Delhi, Aug. 15 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday observed that in granting statehood, the ground situation has to be taken into consideration.

"You cannot ignore what happened in Pahalgam," said a bench of CJI BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said the government had assured statehood after elections, but there is a peculiar situation there.

He said the assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir as promised to the Constitution bench that had upheld the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

"This is not the time for petitioners to muddy the waters," he further said.

Mehta sought eight weeks to take instruct...