The Centre told the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday that the accession of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into the Indian Union is "irreversible".

Attorney General K K Venugopal, replying on the batch of petitions filed challenging the revocation of Article 370, explained how the process of accession of J&K into the Indian Union took place.

A five-judge bench headed by Justice N V Ramana and comprising Justices S K Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant, is hearing the case. Emphasizing the purpose of the story on J&K's integration, Venugopal told the court the integration of the Indian states shows the consolidation of the country.

"I want to show that the sovereignty of J&K was indeed temporary. We are now a Union of states," said the AG. Delving into the history of the state, the AG said that he would differ on many counts. For instance, the Maharaja of J&K had entered into a Standstill Agreement with Pakistan.

Davinder Singh Sent To NIA Custody
Suspended deputy J&K SP, Davinder Singh, was produced in a special court on Thursday and sent to 15-day NIA custody along with four co-accused, officers said. They said the suspended officer was produced in the special NIA court along with the two terrorists, who he was helping travel out of J&K, and their two associates.

MEA Denies Trump's Help, Says 'No Role For 3rd Party'
There is no role for any third party in the Kashmir issue, which has to be resolved bilaterally with Pakistan and the onus lies on Islamabad to create an environment for engagement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The ministry's assertion came in response to US President Donald Trump's fresh offer to "help" in resolving the issue. "There is no role for any third party in the Kashmir issue," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said when asked about Trump's offer.

"Our position has been clear on Kashmir... It is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan," he said. Addressing the media with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos on Tuesday, Trump said that the US was watching Kashmir's developments closely and repeated his offer to "help" resolve the matter.