(LiveMint)
The government touted the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing the region into the mainstream, as one of the landmark decisions taken during the first 100 days of the Narendra Modi administration’s second term. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits assembly of five or more people, is in place in only 14 police stations in Jammu and Kashmir now, information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said on Sunday, suggesting that the situation in Kashmir is improving.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government faces a litmus test as it begins to restore normalcy in the Kashmir region against the backdrop of unrest in the valley. Article 370 and Article 35-A of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, were abrogated by Parliament, which passed a law for the reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir state. Jammu and Kashmir has been made a Union territory with a legislative assembly, whereas Ladakh has been made into another Union territory without an assembly, according to the bill passed by Parliament.
