The court's remarks came in response to a contention by lawyer and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay that minority status can be awarded to Hindus in Uttar Pradesh because they are in a minority in a number of the state's districts.
A bench headed by Justice S.K. Kaul said the issue does not survive now and referred to the November 2019 verdict of a constitution bench which awarded the title of the land to the Hindu litigants.
The bench said: "Liberty to serve an advance copy of the application on the standing counsel for the state of Himachal Pradesh." The top court added that the Uttarakhand government will file a status report before the next date of hearing, and scheduled the matter for further hearing on April 22. Haridwar Hate Speech Case: Supreme Court Seeks Status Report From Uttarakhand Govt.
Justice Oka was responding to the congratulatory messages from the Bar after his elevation to the Supreme Court of India was reportedly cleared by the Central government on Wednesday evening.