Article 370 Case Hearing : Live Updates From Supreme Court [Day 10]

CJI: It's actually there with every institution. We have the autonomous authority to decide constitutional issues. So we can't say that internal sovereignty vests with us. We are an independent, autonomous institution under the Constitution.

SG Mehta: The petitioners are confusing internal sovereignty with autonomy. External sovereignty, noone can dispute lies with the Union. Internal sovereignty would mean autonomy of federal units. This autonomy is there with every state.

SG Mehta (reading from Ayyangar's statement): "It is the hope of everyone here that in due course even J&K would become ripe for the same sort of integration as has taken place in case of other states. Cheers."

SG Mehta: So far, the residents of J&K were being deprived of what - I'll show you, till 5th August. Ayyangar said that the discrimination is due to special conditions of Kashmir, that state is not right for this kind of integration.

SG Mehta: So far, the residents of J&K were being deprived of what - I'll show you, till 5th August. Iyengar said that the discrimination is due to special conditions of Kashmir, that state is not right for this kind of integration.

SG Mehta: The question is very important - why are you discriminating people of one state from other states? Your lordships would be shocked when I show you the discrimination. We have analysed how provisions were picked, modified, and applied to one State.

SG Mehta (reading from Constituent Assembly debates): Pausing here for a minute so that the debate doesn't get boring. Maulana Hasrat Mohani was an eminent Urdu lyricist of his time. Most of us have heard his 'Chupke Chupke Raat Dinn Aasoon Bahana...' that is by him.

SG Mehta: Meaning thereby, that the persons against whom citizens invoke Article 19 would decide what would be the reasonable restrictions.

SG Mehta: Till '76, Article 21 was applicable with a truncated way. Article 19- there was a sub article added as it was applied to J&K- that reasonable restrictions would be those which would be prescribed by the legislature.

SG Mehta: The Federation is a Union because it is indestructible. The country is one integral whole it's people a single people, living under a single imperium...