Indian authorities need more time to restore order in Kashmir, a Supreme Court justice said on Tuesday as a security clampdown entered a ninth day since New Delhi revoked the region’s special status, triggering protests.
The court is hearing an activist’s petition seeking to lift Restrictions on communications and movement that have disrupted normal life and essential services in the Himalayan region.
Menaka Guruswamy, a lawyer for the petitioner, said the court should move to restore hospital services and open schools.
The petition also seeks the release of detained political leaders in Kashmir, among more than 300 people held to prevent widespread protests.
The court is expected to rule on the petition in a few days. Justice Arun Mishra said the government wanted to bring Kashmir back to normal as soon as possible.
Indian officials say the situation is normalizing and announced plans for a three-day investor summit in Kashmir beginning Oct. 12, to kickstart economic growth.
On Monday, authorities sealed off parts of Srinagar, where hundreds of people shouting anti-India slogans spilled onto the streets following prayers on the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move on Kashmir threw a tighter grasp on the country’s only Muslim-majority region, and drew strong protests from neighboring Pakistan, which also lays claim to the region.
