<P> The 1974 Indira - Sheikh accord between Kashmiri politician Sheikh Abdullah and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi stated, "The State of Jammu and Kashmir which is a constituent unit of the Union of India, shall, in its relation with the Union, continue to be governed by Article 370 of the Constitution of India". </P> <P> In notifications issued as far back as 1927 and 1932, the state created various categories of residents--with some being called permanent residents (PRs) with special rights . Though the law did not discriminate between female and male PRs, an administrative rule made it clear that women could remain PRs only till marriage . After that they had to seek a fresh right to remain PRs . And if a woman married someone who wasn't a J&K PR, she automatically lost her own PR status . But a 2002 high court ruling made it clear that a woman will remain a PR even after marriage to a non-PR, and enjoy all the rights of a PR . A People's Democratic Party government, led by Mehbooba Mufti, passed a law to overturn the court judgment by introducing a Bill styled "Permanent Residents (Disqualification) Bill, 2004' . This was not Mufti's solo effort . Omar Abdullah's party, the National Conference, backed this Bill and got it passed in the lower house of the assembly . But it did not ultimately see the light of day for various reasons . </P> <P> Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the state's' Prime Minister' and leader of the Muslims in the Valley, found the inclusion of Article 370 in the' Temporary and Transitional Provisions' of the Constitution's Part XXI unsettling . He wanted' iron clad guarantees of autonomy' . Suspecting that the state's special status might be lost, Abdullah advocated independence from India, causing New Delhi to dismiss his government in 1953, and place him under preventive detention . </P> <P> In December 2016, the Supreme Court of India set aside a judgement of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir which stated that Jammu and Kashmir had "absolute sovereign power" on account of Article 370 . The Supreme Court held that the state of Jammu and Kashmir has "no vestige" of sovereignty outside the Constitution of India and its own Constitution is subordinate to the Indian Constitution . The Court upheld the applicability of SARFAESI Act to Jammu and Kashmir as it was under the Union list of subjects for which the Indian Parliament is empowered to enact laws for the whole of India, including Jammu and Kashmir . </P>

Article 370 incorporated in the constitution of india became operative on