Final hearing of petitions concerning Article 370 on 10 Dec, says SC; asks Centre to file counter-affidavit by 22 Nov

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday said that it will give a final hearing to petitions challenging the revocation of Article 370 on 10 December and asked the Centre to file a counter-affidavit in the case by 22 November.[caption id="attachment_7061311" align="alignleft" width="380"]

File image of the Supreme Court of India. Reuters[/caption]A five-judge bench was hearing a batch of petitions others challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir.The Central government had in August announced a decision to scrap Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state in two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The two UTs came into existence on 31 October.Pursuant to this, a series of petitions were filed against the Centre's decision.