Can Centre Strip A State Of Sovereignty: Former Judge On Jammu And Kashmir

Justice Deepak Gupta said, "We have a concept almost of dual sovereignty. The union is sovereign and the state is sovereign... Does the Union have the right to denude a state and turn it into a Union Territory?"

Former Supreme Court judge, Justice Deepak Gupta, today said several matters in the top court, including the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, need urgent decision. Asked about the key cases pending the court for long, Justice Gupta said the Supreme Court has two roles.

"One is the adjudicator of disputes, which it does very well. But it is also a protector of human rights of citizens. In my opinion, they lagged behind a little bit," he said in an exclusive interview with NDTV.

As a case in point, he cited Jammu and Kashmir. "The issue was taking away of Article 370. Why should it hang fire? It is a small issue so far as it is legally concerned. But one way or another, once it is decided, it will settle what is happening in Kashmir," he said.

The other big issue regarding Kashmir, he said, "is whether a full-fledged state can be bifurcated into two union territories".