Decoding the Special Constitutional Status of Jammu and Kashmir: A Complete Guide

Article 370 was a temporary provision in Part XXI of the Indian Constitution that granted special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, limiting Parliament's legislative powers to Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Communications without state concurrence.

Added via a 1954 Presidential Order, Article 35A empowered the J&K legislature to define 'Permanent Residents' and grant them exclusive rights to buy land, hold state government jobs, and receive state scholarships.

On August 5, 2019, the Union Government used Presidential Orders C.O. 272 and C.O. 273 (modifying Article 367) to declare all clauses of Article 370 inoperative and apply the entire Indian Constitution to J&K.

The Act bifurcated the state into two Union Territories: UT of Jammu & Kashmir (with a Legislative Assembly) and UT of Ladakh (without a Legislative Assembly).

A 5-judge Constitution Bench led by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud unanimously upheld the abrogation, ruling that J&K retained no internal sovereignty after 1947, Article 370 was a temporary measure, and Presidential Orders C.O. 272/273 were constitutionally valid.

The Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) was the main criminal code applicable in J&K instead of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) prior to August 5, 2019.

Post-2019, West Pakistan refugees and Valmiki sanitation workers were granted full Indian citizenship rights, state domicile certificates, voting rights in local elections, and access to state jobs.

When the supercontinent Pangea split during the Mesozoic era, it divided into two smaller supercontinents: Laurasia in the Northern Hemisphere (consisting of North America, Europe, and Asia) and Gondwanaland in the Southern Hemisphere (consisting of South America, Africa, India, Australia, and Antarctica).