The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370, which granted special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, writing the judgment for himself and Justices Gavai and Surya Kant, said Article 370 of the Constitution was a temporary provision and the president has the power to revoke it.

The Supreme Court ruling can be seen as a big boost for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Jammu and Kashmir lost its special status in August 2019 under Article 370 of the Constitution, months after the BJP won elections by a landslide and the prime minister made good on a key election pledge.

The Supreme Court was hearing petitions challenging a series of legislative and executive orders to scrap the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and split it into union territories, including Ladakh. Since then, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had restricted the movement of people, curbed internet connectivity and arrested local political leaders.