On 5 August 2026, the Prime Minister marked seven years since the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, describing 5 August 2019 as a defining milestone, and noting that the anniversary falls in the year of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. For a CDS/OTA aspirant this is among the highest-yield polity topics there is — it touches the Constitution's structure, Centre-State relations, judicial review and modern political history in a single thread.
The news in one frame
The essentials:
- What: seven years since the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A on 5 August 2019.
- Claim made: wide-ranging change in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh across infrastructure, education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and sport, with women and marginalised communities brought under the full application of the Constitution of India.
- Context: the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, whose campaign for national unity the government links to the 2019 decision.
What Article 370 actually was
Start with the constitutional position, because that is what gets tested:
- Article 370 was placed in Part XXI of the Constitution — "Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions." It was drafted largely by N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, himself a former Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir.
- Its origin lies in the Instrument of Accession, signed by Maharaja Hari Singh on 26 October 1947, by which the princely state acceded to India on defence, external affairs and communications.
- In effect, Article 370 meant that Parliament's legislative power over J&K was limited to those subjects plus whatever the State concurred in; other provisions of the Constitution applied only through a Presidential Order issued with the State Government's concurrence. J&K had its own Constitution (1957) and its own flag.
- Article 35A was not enacted by Parliament. It was inserted through the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954, a Presidential Order, and empowered the State legislature to define "permanent residents" and reserve for them rights in property, government employment, settlement and scholarships. Its mode of insertion was long contested.
This constitutional material is exactly what the CDS/OTA polity notes cover.
What happened on 5 August 2019
The sequence, which the exam likes as an ordering question:
- Constitutional Order 272 applied all provisions of the Indian Constitution to Jammu & Kashmir and, by reinterpreting a term in Article 367, effectively superseded the 1954 Order — removing the basis of Article 35A.
- A statutory resolution was passed by Parliament recommending that the President declare that Article 370 shall cease to be operative; Constitutional Order 273 gave effect to it.
- The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 was passed, bifurcating the state into two Union Territories: - Jammu & Kashmir — with a legislature (on the Delhi/Puducherry model); - Ladakh — without a legislature.
- The Act took effect on 31 October 2019 — the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, observed as National Unity Day.
- Consequence: J&K's separate Constitution and flag ceased to operate, and central laws — including the Right to Information Act, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and central reservation provisions — became applicable in full.
Note the constitutional first: this was the first time a State was converted into Union Territories. Reorganisation under Article 3 normally alters boundaries or creates new States.
These themes recur in the CDS/OTA daily current affairs.
The Supreme Court's verdict
The judicial chapter, and a near-certain question:
- On 11 December 2023, a five-judge Constitution Bench unanimously upheld the abrogation.
- Key holdings: Article 370 was a temporary provision, and the State of Jammu & Kashmir retained no element of internal sovereignty distinct from other States after accession; the President's power under Article 370(3) survived the dissolution of the J&K Constituent Assembly.
- The Court also directed the restoration of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir at the earliest and ordered Assembly elections, which were subsequently held.
- The Delimitation Commission had earlier redrawn constituencies, taking the J&K Assembly to 90 seats (excluding those reserved for Pakistan-occupied territory).
Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee
The historical figure the anniversary invokes:
- Born in 1901, he was a distinguished academic — the youngest ever Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta — and served as Minister for Industry and Supply in independent India's first Cabinet, resigning in 1950.
- He founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951.
- He opposed the special status arrangement with the slogan "Ek desh mein do vidhan, do pradhan aur do nishan nahi chalenge" — one country cannot have two constitutions, two heads and two flags.
- He died in 1953 while in detention in Srinagar, having entered the state in protest against the permit system then required to visit it.
The special provisions that remain
A useful comparison set, since Article 370 was never the only one:
- Article 371 and 371A to 371J grant special provisions to Maharashtra and Gujarat, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka.
- Article 371A (Nagaland) and 371G (Mizoram) are the strongest — Parliament's laws on religious or social practices, customary law and land ownership do not apply unless the State Assembly so resolves.
- The Fifth and Sixth Schedules provide separate frameworks for Scheduled Areas and for tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
- The point worth making in an answer: asymmetric federalism — different States relating to the Union on different terms — remains a live feature of the Indian Constitution.
Why it matters
For the essay/interview and bigger picture:
- Uniform application of rights: the argument advanced for the change is that central welfare and rights legislation now applies without a separate filter.
- Federal design: the case raised enduring questions about how far the Union may reorganise a State, and how "temporary" provisions endure.
- Judicial review: that the decision was tested before a Constitution Bench and upheld is itself a demonstration of constitutional process.
🔑 Revision block
Where the Article sat. Article 370 — Part XXI, "Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions." Drafted principally by N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, himself a former Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir. The Court later leaned on that very placement.
The chain of origin. Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh, 26 October 1947, ceding defence, external affairs and communications → Parliament's reach over J&K limited to those subjects plus what the State concurred in → other provisions applied only by Presidential Order with State concurrence → J&K kept its own Constitution (1957) and its own flag.
Article 35A — the insertion point. Not enacted by Parliament. Inserted by the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954, a Presidential Order, empowering the State legislature to define "permanent residents" and reserve for them rights in property, government employment, settlement and scholarships.
5 August 2019, in order. Constitutional Order 272 applied the whole Constitution to J&K and, by reinterpreting a term in Article 367, superseded the 1954 Order — removing the basis of Article 35A → a statutory resolution of Parliament recommended the President declare Article 370 inoperative → Constitutional Order 273 gave effect to it.
The reorganisation, and the trap. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, effective 31 October 2019 — Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary, National Unity Day — created Jammu & Kashmir, WITH a legislature (Delhi/Puducherry model) and Ladakh, WITHOUT one. Candidates routinely invert the two. Note also the constitutional first: a State converted into Union Territories, where Article 3 normally only alters boundaries or creates States. J&K's separate Constitution and flag ceased, and central laws — the Right to Information Act, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, central reservation provisions — applied in full.
The verdict. 11 December 2023, a five-judge Constitution Bench, unanimous, upholding the abrogation. Holdings: Article 370 was temporary · J&K retained no element of internal sovereignty distinct from other States after accession · the President's power under Article 370(3) survived the dissolution of the J&K Constituent Assembly. The Court directed restoration of statehood at the earliest and ordered Assembly elections, since held. The Delimitation Commission had set the Assembly at 90 seats, excluding those reserved for Pakistan-occupied territory.
The man the anniversary invokes. Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee — born 1901, youngest ever Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta, Minister for Industry and Supply in the first Cabinet, resigned 1950, founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951, argued "Ek desh mein do vidhan, do pradhan aur do nishan nahi chalenge", and died in 1953 in detention in Srinagar. 2026 is his 125th birth anniversary year.
The comparison that makes an answer. Special provisions did not end with Article 370: Article 371 and 371A–371J cover Maharashtra and Gujarat, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka · 371A (Nagaland) and 371G (Mizoram) are the strongest, shielding religious and social practice, customary law and land ownership unless the State Assembly resolves otherwise · the Fifth and Sixth Schedules cover Scheduled Areas and the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Asymmetric federalism remains a live feature of the Constitution.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. Article 370 was placed in which Part of the Constitution? (a) Part XXI (b) Part III (c) Part IV (d) Part XI → (a) — Part XXI, temporary and special provisions.
Q2. Articles 370 and 35A were abrogated on: (a) 5 August 2019 (b) 31 October 2019 (c) 26 January 2020 (d) 15 August 2019 → (a) — 5 August 2019.
Q3. The Instrument of Accession was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh in: (a) October 1947 (b) August 1947 (c) January 1950 (d) 1952 → (a) — 26 October 1947.
Q4. Article 35A was inserted by: (a) a Presidential Order of 1954 (b) an Act of Parliament (c) a constitutional amendment (d) a Supreme Court order → (a) — the 1954 Presidential Order.
Q5. Article 35A related mainly to: (a) rights of "permanent residents" (b) defence powers (c) taxation (d) language → (a) — permanent-resident rights in property and employment.
Q6. The J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 came into effect on: (a) 31 October 2019 (b) 5 August 2019 (c) 26 January 2020 (d) 15 August 2020 → (a) — National Unity Day.
Q7. Which Union Territory created in 2019 has NO legislature? (a) Ladakh (b) Jammu & Kashmir (c) Delhi (d) Puducherry → (a) — Ladakh.
Q8. Article 370 was drafted principally by: (a) N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar (b) B.R. Ambedkar (c) K.M. Munshi (d) Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar → (a) — Ayyangar.
Q9. The Supreme Court upheld the abrogation on: (a) 11 December 2023 (b) 5 August 2020 (c) 1 January 2022 (d) 26 November 2023 → (a) — 11 December 2023.
Q10. The bench that decided the case comprised: (a) five judges (b) three judges (c) seven judges (d) nine judges → (a) — a five-judge Constitution Bench.
Q11. The Court characterised Article 370 as a: (a) temporary provision (b) basic feature (c) fundamental right (d) permanent guarantee → (a) — temporary.
Q12. Reorganisation of States is provided for by: (a) Article 3 (b) Article 1 (c) Article 368 (d) Article 249 → (a) — Article 3.
Q13. Under the Instrument of Accession, the Union initially had power over: (a) defence, external affairs and communications (b) all subjects (c) education only (d) agriculture → (a) — the three subjects.
Q14. Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded which party in 1951? (a) Bharatiya Jana Sangh (b) Swatantra Party (c) Praja Socialist Party (d) Hindu Mahasabha → (a) — the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
Q15. Special provisions for Nagaland are contained in: (a) Article 371A (b) Article 370 (c) Article 371G (d) Article 244 → (a) — Article 371A (371G covers Mizoram).
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Constitutional provisions are a reliable CDS/OTA polity set. The reliable framings are which Part housed Article 370, the date and instrument of abrogation, which of the two UTs has a legislature, the 2023 verdict, and Article 371-series matching (371A Nagaland, 371G Mizoram). A common trap gives Ladakh a legislature (it has none) or says Article 35A was enacted by Parliament (it came by Presidential Order). The fresh 2026 hook is the seventh anniversary — ideal for "which year / which Part / which UT" items. We reference the pattern, not any exact past question.
Preparing for CDS or OTA? The Constitution, federalism and modern political history are the highest-yield polity topics, and Article 370 is standard SSB interview ground. Follow our daily CDS/OTA current affairs and train with serving-officer faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
✍️ Written by Aditya Tiwari — Polity & current-affairs faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk. The Cavalier, founded by ex-Army officers, has trained NDA/CDS/SSB aspirants since 2001 (Facebook · YouTube).
Source: PIB / Prime Minister's Office, 5 August 2026. Facts cross-verified with independent sources.