SC advocates appreciate NPP Supremo’s appeal to President of India for amending Article 370

PR:  Prof.Bhim Singh, Chief Patron of J&K National Panthers Party & Senior Advocate & Sr. Executive Member of Supreme Court Bar Association as well as a jurist of international standing had yesterday appealed to the President of India, Shri Ramnath Kovind for his intervention to exercise his exclusive jurisdiction to amend Article 370 of the Indian Constitution by empowering the Parliament of India to legislate in respect of three subjects in Chapter-III of the Indian Constitution including Defence, Foreign Affairs and Communications with Allied Matters. He strongly pleaded that these three subjects the then Maharaja Hari Singh of J&K had included expressly in the Instrument of Accession which he signed on October 26, 1947 voluntarily. All other 575 princes had signed similar Instruments for Accession of the respective states in 1947. All 575 states excluding J&K were included in the Union of India when Constitution of India was declared on January 26, 1950. The accession of J&K has commanded transfer of three subjects which the Parliament of India has not carried amounting to defy the command of the Instrument of Accession of J&K with the rest of the country.

Prof.Bhim Singh in his letter to the President of India congratulating him for the New Year-2019 had made a strong appeal to integrate the State of J&K as was the will of the Ruler of J&K. He also urged the President to exercise his exclusive jurisdiction to amend Article 370 in the Indian Constitution to honour the Instrument of Accession signed by the then Maharaja of J&K. He demanded that these three subjects should have been transferred to the Parliament of India on January 26, 1950 as was done in case of other states.

An emergency meeting of several advocates of the Supreme Court was held under the auspices of the State Legal Aid Committee in New Delhi today. The jurists appreciated the letter written by the Executive Chairman of the State Legal Aid Committee to the President of India urging the President for his intervention to empower Parliament of India to legislate in respect of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Communications with Allied Matters which was expressly signed by Maharaja Har Singh while seeking accession of the state. The advocates also expressed full support to the cause taken up by the State Legal Aid Committee, J&K and assured full cooperation to strengthen this movement and joined with the committee to urge the President of India for his urgent intervention as the Parliament of India has proved utter failure to take cognizance in this matter since 1950.

State Legal Aid Committee also appealed the political parties in India, the Members of the Parliament to support this movement which is a way out to strengthen the emotional integration of J&K with the rest of the country. They also assured the President of India that he is the only competent authority within the meaning and scope of the Constitution of India and Article 370 which is temporary and has no relevance today. It needs to be amended without any delay so that the Parliament shall have exclusive authority to deal with these three subjects.