The foundation for Article 370 stems from the Instrument of Accession (IOA) signed by the then ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Raja Hari Singh. The document was part of the formal process by which all princely states in the country declared their consent to be included in the Union of India. In this case, however, J&K negotiated some conditions as part of its entry into India. As per the IOA, the state gave Union of India the power to legislate only three aspects: external affairs, communications and defence.

OCTOBER 17, 1949:

Article 370 is incorporated in the Indian Constitution, exempting the state of Jammu and Kashmir from Constitution of India. This cements the terms spelt out in the IOA.

1950-1954

Several Presidential Orders were issued during this period following discussions between the Constituent Assembly and Government of India. The first one was a formal announcement of the applicability of Art 370, while the one that came into force on May 14, 1954, was seen as the most crucial:

It extended Indian citizenship to J&K residents

It accorded the fundamental rights to the people of J&K It extended the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to the state It announced the adding of Article 35A to Constitution, which gave special privileges to permanent residents by laying down restrictions on people from outside to purchase property, claim settlement or employment

NOVEMBER 17, 1956

The Constituent Assembly of J&K dissolved, without taking a decision on whether to scrap Article 370.

■ This left a situation in which Article 370 was deemed to have retained a more permanent place in the Constitution, where it is classified under Part XXI