New Delhi, August 31: Elections in Jammu and Kashmir can take place any time and a decision on the issue has to be taken by the poll panel, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday while giving a roadmap for restoration of electoral democracy and complete statehood in the union territory. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the decision on elections in J-K have to be taken by the Election Commission of India and the state poll panel. Election Commission to Take Call on Jammu and Kashmir Elections, Statehood After Assembly Polls, Says Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Mehta told a bench that polls in J-K will be held in three stages - first there will be panchayat polls, second municipal polls and then legislative assembly polls. On August 29, the Centre had told the top court that the union territory status of Jammu and Kashmir is not a “permanent thing” and that it will make an elaborate statement on the vexatious political issue in the court on August 31. Article 370 Hearing: Jammu and Kashmir’s Union Territory Status Not Permanent Thing, Says Centre After Supreme Court Asks for Timeframe to Restore Statehood.

The five-judge constitution bench, hearing the pleas challenging the abrogation of Article 370, had asked the Centre to set a specific time frame for restoration of electoral democracy in the erstwhile state.

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