The Supreme Court on Friday (August 31) was informed by the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta that panchayat elections in J&K will be concluded in December and hence the hearing of the case should be postponed to January 2018 to avoid any law and order chaos in the state.

The bench comprising CJI Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud was hearing a plea challenging the validity of Article 35A in Jammu & Kashmir.

As an interim relief, the bench barred the people in the state to go for strike and shutdowns.

The bench agreed to the contentions of Mehta and adjourned the matter to the second week of January 2018.

—India Legal Bureau