Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Welcome direction: On the Supreme Court’s deadline to conduct elections in J&K

Welcome direction: On the Supreme Court’s deadline to conduct elections in J&K

As with elections, the Supreme Court should have given a deadline for restoration of statehood (राज्य का दर्जा) too

In its conclusion in the judgment that upheld the decision to abrogate (रद्द करना) the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, the Constitution Bench (संविधान पीठ) of the Supreme Court expressly (स्पष्ट रूप से) directed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) must conduct elections to the Legislative Assembly (विधान सभा) of J&K by September 30, 2024. It is welcome that the Court has set a deadline to conduct the long-delayed elections in J&K, which has been under spells (period, time, streak, session, season, stretch) of Governor’s Rule and President’s Rule since June 20, 2018 and without a Legislative Assembly. But it is also incongruous (contradictory, irreconcilable, clashing/conflicting) that the judgment does not press (urge, push, force, put pressure on, pressurize, prevail on) the government to restore statehood to the bifurcated (विभाजित, दो शाखाओं में बांटा हुआ) Union Territory, a promise (वादा) that has been conveyed by the Solicitor General (the second-highest rank for a law officer of the government), but has yet to gain fruition (realization, achievement, accomplishment/completion). The Bench remarks (टिप्पणी) that direct elections cannot be put on hold (postpone, put back, hold off, defer, delay, suspend, shelve, mothball) until statehood is restored but it could have directed the Union government to restore statehood and conduct elections by a specified date, as there remains no reason for the continuance of J&K as a Union Territory. Restoration of statehood is an important measure (action, course of action, move, procedure, step) as this guarantees (promise, vow, pledge, give one’s word, give assurance) a degree (level, extent, amount, ratio, magnitude, proportion) of federal (संघीय) autonomy (स्वायत्तता) to the province (region, territory, state), that should allow the elected government to be able to better address (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out) the concerns of the electorate (मतदाताओं, निर्वाचन-क्षेत्र) than depend on the representatives (प्रतिनिधि) of the Union government.

J&K remains among India’s most conflict-prone (subjected to armed conflict; suffering from armed clash) regions partially due to historical reasons related to integration (एकीकरण) of the erstwhile (पूर्व, भूतपूर्व) princely State (Native States under a local or regional ruler, existed in India before the partition of India in 1947) into the Indian Union and later due to accumulated (संचित, इकट्ठा) grievances (complaint, objection, protestation, resentment) over the conduct of democratic processes in the erstwhile State. Even when periodic (cyclical, occasional, regular, frequent, repeated, periodic, sporadic, recurrent) and regular elections were conducted during the height (an extreme example of something; peak) of the militancy (extremist, radical, sectarian group), participation was limited in many parts of the Valley (a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it), denoting the disenchantment (disappointment, dissatisfaction, discontent, disgruntlement, unhappiness) with the political system. But things took a change for the better since the early-mid 2000s when electoral participation (involvement, taking part, engagement, association) improved and J&K’s citizens began to partake (participate in, take part in, engage in, enter into, join in, get involved in, play a part in, contribute to (an activity)) in the democratic process to get their concerns addressed before agitations ((public) protest) and protests — including by separatists (secessionist, dissident, protester, sectarian, nonconformist extremist, radical) — over security policies and the later steps taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party government led to the current state of affairs (the present situation, the current state, the existing status quo). In the last five and a half years, local government elections have been held with varying levels of participation indicating that the mood (frame of mind, state of mind; atmosphere, feeling) in the Valley has been against the measures that have been implemented since 2018. India’s unique selling (promoting, advertising, marketing) proposition (theory, concept, premise, idea, assumption) as a leader in the Global South (the poor developing countries (of Asia, Africa, South America, amongst others)) remains its robust (strong, powerful) conduct of formal democratic process and which in itself (without considering anything else; alone, as such, by its very nature) is important for conflict resolution in places such as Kashmir. Without political processes, a contestation (dispute, disagreement, difference argument, controversy, debate, contention) of ideas and a sense that elected representatives (a member of a legislature (parliament/congress/council/legislative assembly); lawmaker, legislator) can address the grievances of citizens, there cannot be any normalcy (a normal condition; normality, regularity).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.statehood (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राज्य का दर्जा
English Meaning - the condition of being an independent state.

2.abrogate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रद्द करना
English Meaning - cancel, annul, nullify, negate, revoke, repeal, overrule, override.

3.Constitution Bench (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संविधान पीठ
English Meaning - a bench of the Supreme Court having five or more judges on it. These benches are not a routine phenomenon. Constitution Benches are exceptions, set up only if some circumstances exist).

4.expressly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - स्पष्ट रूप से
English Meaning - absolutely, clearly, obviously, unequivocally, unmistakably.

5.Legislative Assembly (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विधान सभा
English Meaning - Assembly/Vidhan Sabha; Legislative Assembly is the lower house in the states and union territories of India, much like the Lok Sabha of the Parliament. Members of the Legislative Assembly (legislative body) are directly elected by the people through assembly elections. The term of the Legislative Assembly is five years (unless it is dissolved earlier). A member of a legislative Assembly is referred to as an MLA.

6.bifurcated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - विभाजित, दो शाखाओं में बांटा हुआ
English Meaning - split, divided, separated.

7.promise (noun)

Hindi Meaning - वादा
English Meaning - assurance, guarantee, pledge, vow.

8.remark (verb)

Hindi Meaning - टिप्पणी
English Meaning - say, comment, mention, state, announce.

9.federal (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संघीय
English Meaning - relating to a system of government in which establishments such as states or provinces share power with a national government.

10.autonomy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - स्वायत्तता
English Meaning - independence, freedom (from external control/influence); self-determination.

11.electorate (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मतदाताओं, निर्वाचन-क्षेत्र
English Meaning - all the people who entitled to vote in an election.

12.representative (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिनिधि
English Meaning - official, spokesperson, agent.

13.integration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - एकीकरण
English Meaning - inclusion, unification, merger, consolidation

14.erstwhile (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पूर्व, भूतपूर्व
English Meaning - old, previous, former, then.

15.accumulated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संचित, इकट्ठा
English Meaning - increased, multiplied, cumulated, amassed, gathered.

16.welcome (adjective)

English Meaning - pleasing, agreeable, favourable, promising, much needed.

17.direction (noun)

English Meaning - instruction, command, order.

18.as with (phrase)

English Meaning - in the same way as.

19.restoration (noun)

English Meaning - bringing back, reinstitution, reinstallation, re-establishment, revival.

20.uphold (verb)

English Meaning - confirm, endorse, approve, vindicate, validate.

21.Article 370 of the Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - It had “temporary provisions with respect to the State of Jammu and Kashmir” which gave special powers to the state. The article allowed the state a certain amount of autonomy - its own constitution, a separate flag and freedom to make laws. Foreign affairs, defence and communications remained the preserve (domain) of the central government. It also allowed Jammu and Kashmir to make its own rules relating to permanent residency, ownership of property and fundamental rights. It did also bar Indians from outside the state from purchasing property or settling there.

22.bench (noun)

English Meaning - a court of law with a number of judges.

23.Division Bench (noun)

English Meaning - a bench of two or three judges is called a division bench.

24.spell (noun)

English Meaning - period, time, streak, session, season, stretch.

25.incongruous (adjective)

English Meaning - contradictory, irreconcilable, clashing/conflicting.

26.press (verb)

English Meaning - urge, push, force, put pressure on, pressurize, prevail on.

27.the Solicitor General (noun)

English Meaning - the second-highest rank for a law officer of the government.

28.fruition (noun)

English Meaning - realization, achievement, accomplishment/completion.

29.put on hold (phrase)

English Meaning - postpone, put back, hold off, defer, delay, suspend, shelve, mothball.

30.measure (noun)

English Meaning - action, course of action, move, procedure, step.

31.guarantee (verb)

English Meaning - promise, vow, pledge, give one’s word, give assurance.

32.degree (noun)

English Meaning - level, extent, amount, ratio, magnitude, proportion.

33.province (noun)

English Meaning - region, territory, state.

34.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

35.conflict (noun)

English Meaning - war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash.

36.prone (adjective)

English Meaning - susceptible to, vulnerable to, liable to, subject to, vulnerable to, at/in risk of.

37.conflict-prone (adjective)

English Meaning - subjected to armed conflict; suffering from armed clash.

38.princely state (noun)

English Meaning - Native States under a local or regional ruler, existed in India before the partition of India in 1947.

39.grievance (noun)

English Meaning - complaint, objection, protestation, resentment.

40.periodic (adjective)

English Meaning - cyclical, occasional, regular, frequent, repeated, periodic, sporadic, recurrent.

41.height (noun)

English Meaning - an extreme example of something; peak.

42.militancy (noun)

English Meaning - extremist, radical, sectarian group.

43.participation (noun)

English Meaning - involvement, taking part, engagement, association.

44.Valley (noun)

English Meaning - a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it.

45.disenchantment (noun)

English Meaning - disappointment, dissatisfaction, discontent, disgruntlement, unhappiness.

46.partake (verb)

English Meaning - participate in, take part in, engage in, enter into, join in, get involved in, play a part in, contribute to (an activity).

47.agitation (noun)

English Meaning - (public) protest.

48.separatist (noun)

English Meaning - secessionist, dissident, protester, sectarian, nonconformist extremist, radical.

49.led to past participle of lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

50.state of affairs (noun)

English Meaning - the present situation, the current state, the existing status quo.

51.held past tense of hold (verb)

English Meaning - conduct, organize, arrange, convene.

52.mood (noun)

English Meaning - frame of mind, state of mind; atmosphere, feeling.

53.selling (adjective)

English Meaning - promoting, advertising, marketing.

54.proposition (noun)

English Meaning - theory, concept, premise, idea, assumption.

55.The Global South (noun)

English Meaning - the poor developing countries (of Asia, Africa, South America, amongst others).

56.The Global North (noun)

English Meaning - the economically developed countries (of Europe, North America, Australia, amongst others).

57.robust (adjective)

English Meaning - strong, powerful.

58.in itself (phrase)

English Meaning - without considering anything else; alone, as such, by its very nature.

59.contestation (noun)

English Meaning - dispute, disagreement, difference argument, controversy, debate, contention.

60.(elected) representative (noun)

English Meaning - a member of a legislature (parliament/congress/council/legislative assembly); lawmaker, legislator.

61.normalcy (noun)

English Meaning - a normal condition; normality, regularity.