Ex-Home Secretary Gopal Pillai, former interlocutor Radha Kumar call for restoration of J&K Statehood, repeal of Reorganization Act
Former officials Gopal Pillai and Radha Kumar have urged the Indian government to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and repeal the 2019 Reorganization Act. They argue that the current governance structure is undemocratic and that the region requires full statehood to address ongoing security and political challenges.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing debate regarding the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir and the effectiveness of its current administrative structure.
Former Home Secretary Gopal Pillai and former Jammu and Kashmir interlocutor Radha Kumar, who co-chairs the Forum of Human Rights in J&K, on Wednesday (August 5, 2026) called for the restoration of full Statehood to J&K and the repeal of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019. They also urged the Centre to accept Ladakh’s demand for Statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule.
In its annual report, the forum, which has prominent individuals as its members from across the country, said it was the first time in independent India that an existing State has been “demoted” to Union Territory status. “This demotion contravened Articles 1 and 3 of the Constitution of India and the basic structure doctrine that India is a federal democracy. If that demotion was unconstitutional, then it follows that Statehood must be restored,” the report said.
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