India\u2019s Supreme Court concluded its hearing on Tuesday on a challenge to New Delhi\u2019s 2019 imposition of direct rule in occupied Kashmir, a snap decision that led to protests and mass arrests. Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s government suspended Article 370 of the constitution that guarantees limited autonomy to the disputed region, home to a long-running insurgency against Indian rule. The five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud will now retire to consider if the move was legal despite lacking the endorsement from parliament usually required for constitutional change. No timeline has been give for their decision. The Supreme Court in New Delhi heard arguments over 16 days from government lawyers, constitutional experts representing occupied Kashmir\u2019s pro-India political parties, and others challenging the move. India has for decades stationed more than half a million soldiers in occupied Kashmir. Pakistan and India have fought three wars over control of the region and thousands have been killed in a freedom movement against Indian rule in the Muslim-majority territory since 1989. The suspension of occupied Kashmir\u2019s semi-autonomous status allowed Indians from elsewhere to buy land and claim government jobs there, a policy denounced by critics as \u201csettler colonialism\u201d. Many residents and critics say that authorities have since curbed media freedoms and public protests in a drastic curtailment of civil liberties. Modi\u2019s government has defended the decision in the court, saying the change had brought \u201cpeace, progress and prosperity\u201d to the restive territory. Consolidating New Delhi\u2019s rule over its portion of the territory has long been a key plank of Modi\u2019s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The frequency of armed clashes between Indian soldiers and freedom fighters has dropped significantly in recent years as India works to fortify its rule over the territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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