Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was historically a state in the Indian Union that held a unique constitutional position, but it is now a Union Territory (UT) with a legislature. Its origin traces back to the accession of the princely state to India in October 1947 via the Instrument of Accession. This led to the inclusion of Article 370 in the Indian Constitution in 1950, which was placed under Part XXI as a "Temporary, Transitional, or Special Provision".
Article 370 granted the state a high degree of autonomy, allowing it to have its own constitution and limiting the application of Central laws to matters of defence, foreign affairs, and communications. A related provision, Article 35A, introduced in 1954, empowered the state legislature to define "permanent residents" and restrict rights like property ownership and government jobs to them.
The status of J&K changed fundamentally on August 5, 2019, when the special status under Article 370 and Article 35A was revoked. This was followed by the enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which bifurcated the former state into two new Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir (with a Legislative Assembly) and Ladakh (without a legislature)—effective from October 31, 2019. The Act abolished the state's Legislative Council and extended 106 central laws to the new UTs, ensuring all provisions of the Indian Constitution now apply fully. The new UT of Jammu and Kashmir is administered by a Lieutenant Governor, and its Legislative Assembly's law-making powers exclude "public order" and "police". The Supreme Court of India unanimously upheld the constitutional validity of the abrogation of Article 370 in December 2023, ruling that it was a temporary provision.