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Plea Filed in Supreme Court for Restoration of  Jammu and Kashmir’s Statehood A fresh plea has been filed in the Supreme Court  of India, urging the Court to issue directions for the immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir . The application, filed by Zahoor Ahmed Bhat (a college teacher) and activist Khurshaid Ahmad Malik , calls for a time-bound restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, stating that the delay is causing significant harm to both the federal structure of the country and the fundamental rights of its citizens. Background and Key Points of the Plea Union Government’s Assurance The plea argues that despite assurances given by the Solicitor General of India that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would be restored, there has been no progress over the last ten months  since the Supreme Court’s decision on the abrogation of Article 370 . The petitioners have filed this application seeking a two-month timeframe  for the restoration of sta...

Supreme Court Dismisses Review Pleas on States' Power to  Levy Tax on Minerals In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India has dismissed review petitions challenging its earlier judgment, which allowed states to levy taxes on mineral-bearing lands . The judgment also upheld that royalty on extracted minerals is not a tax. The petitions were aimed at revisiting the decision of the nine-judge bench but were rejected by a majority verdict. Background of the Case The core issue in the case revolved around whether state governments have the power to levy taxes on mines and minerals , a matter of critical importance for natural resource management and fiscal federalism . The nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court had ruled in July 2024 that states hold the legislative power to tax mineral rights and that royalty payments made to the government are contractual considerations , not taxes. The decision was appealed by the Central Government , pointing out what it termed as ...