HC Division Bench adjourns hearing to July 17

Jammu, May 15: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Friday adjourned the hearing in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), challenging the provisions of the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, authorising the Lieutenant Governor to nominate five MLAs to the J&K Legislative Assembly, over and above its (assembly’s) sanctioned strength, to July 17, 2026.

The Division Bench of Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Rajesh Sekhri, hearing this PIL, adjourned the matter (to July 17) due to paucity of time with it (court).

As the matter came up for further hearing on Friday, May 15, 2026, the bench told the lawyer for the petitioner – JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, “Let the matter be heard on some other date as there is little time to hear it (matter) due to listing of some other cases.”

The counsel for petitioner Senior Supreme Court advocate PC Sen readily agreed and the next date was fixed for further hearing on July 17, after intervening vacations in the High Court in the month of June.

The PIL, filed by ex MLC and JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, was partly heard on the last two hearings when the counsel for petitioner had put forth his arguments.

“Today, our senior counsel P C Sen had to continue further arguments but the case was adjourned to next date,” Sharma said.

The petitioner appeared along with his local counsels – Shah Mohammed Chaudhary, DK Khajuria, Majid Bashir, Ayush Pangotra while Vishal Sharma DSGI appeared for respondents. Advocates SS Ahmed and Mandip Kour represented intervenors in the case.

The petitioner Ravinder Sharma, himself, is an advocate.

Main argument of Sharma, who has challenged the relevant provisions of the J&K Reorganisation Act, providing for nomination of five MLAs by the Lieutenant Governor, over and above the sanctioned strength of the Legislative Assembly of J&K, with full voting rights, is that the provision, having the potential of converting a minority government into majority government, is against the basic structure of the constitution.