Srinagar: Murmu takes oath as first Lt Guv sans J-K flag, emblem

In a first, the oath-taking ceremony of the Lieutenant Governor was conducted without flag of Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, the oath ceremonies of the Governors and Chief Ministers of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir took place in the presence of flag of Jammu Kashmir.

Girish Chandra Murmu on Thursday took oath as the first Lt. Governor of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The oath was administered by Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Gita Mittal.

During the oath-taking ceremony, the seal on the oath-taking dias of the Murmu as well as on the dias of Justice Gita Mittal bore the emblem of "Ashok stambh", the national emblem of the Republic of India.

During previous oath-taking ceremonies, one of the dias used to bear the "Ashok Stambh", while the other had state emblem of Jammu and Kashmir on them.

Earlier today, Radha Krishna Mathur took oath as the first Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh.

Over two months after the Parliament revoked the special status of the then state of Jammu Kashmir, the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh came into existence on Thursday.

Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been divided into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, from the intervening midnight of Wednesday-Thursday.

With this, the total number of states in the country has come down to 28 while the number of Union Territories has gone up to nine.

The President's Rule that was imposed in the state has been revoked.

Centre had in August announced the decision to abrogate the Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmri and also announced the decision to simultaneously bifurcate the state in two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.