Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 24: More than fifty prominent citizens have jointly appealed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Governor Satya Pal Malik to celebrate the Accession Day of Jammu and Kashmir officially to respect the sentiments of the people of the State.
The Accession Day falls on 26th October as on this day in 1947 the Maharaja Hari Singh, the Ruler of J&K, had signed the Instrument of Accession, acceding his sovereign state into secular dominion of India which was ratified by the J&K Constituent Assembly, representing the collective will of the people, on 6th February, 1954.
The joint statement said that Accession Day is a fulfillment and jubilation and needs to be celebrated as such by the people of the State and also officially by the State and the Central Governments.
The statement said that constitutionally, legally and politically the Accession made by Maharaja Hari Singh under India Independence Act, 1947 is final and irrevocable. It was a sovereign act as prescribed under India Independence Act which did not have any provision of “conditional”, “temporary” or “interim” Accession.
The statement also recalled that during the Government of Bakshi Ghulam Mohd, 6th February was used to be celebrated as Yuma-e-Ilhaq, the day on 1954 the State Constituent Assembly ratified it’ but unfortunately this practice was discontinued thereafter.
The citizens strongly recommended to the Prime Minister and the Governor to revive this practice of celebration of this historic day and join the people of the State by celebrating the Accession Day officially every year.
The signatories include Justice VK Gupta (former Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court), Justice Parmodh Kohli (former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court), Justice KK Gupta, Justice GD Sharma, Justice SK Gupta and Justice OP Sharma (all former Judges of J&K High Court), BR Kundal (former Chief Secretary J&K), Kuldeep Khoda (former CVC and former DGP), Masod Choudhary (former VC, BGSBU Rajouri), Balwant Thakur & Dr Jitender (Padma Shri awardees), Prof Lalit Magotra, Maj Gen Goverdhan Singh Jamwal (Retd), SS Wazir (former ADGP), Advocate UK Jalali (former Advocate General), Advocate DS Salathia (president, Jammu Bar Association), CL Banal (former Member, PSC), Dr HL Goswami (former Member PSC & former Principal, GMC Jammu), RL Bharti (former member, PSC), KB Jandial (former Member, PSC), Madan Lal (former ADGP), BD Sharma & SC Kapoor, Chaman Lal and KL Dhar (former IAS officers), Th Gulchain Singh Charak (president, Jammu Sadar Sabha), PP Sharma & SD Swatantra, Dr CM Seth (all former Principal Chief Conservator of Forest), Prem Gupta, Ashok Gupta, MA Anjum, Ravinder Kotwal, JL Sharma (all former IGPs), JK Vaid, BK Raina & BD Mal Barna (all former Director GSI), ID Soni (educationist & president, State Pensioners Association), SC Rekhi (secretary, State Pensioners Association), Dr Satdev Gupta (president, Jammu Doctors Forum), Dr BB Gupta (noted Gastroenterologist), Dr Yudhvir Gupta, Dr Mohan Lal (noted cardiologist), Er IC Jandial, Er KL Gupta & Er OP Gupta (all former Chief Engineers), Ashwani Kumar (president, Press Club Jammu), Zorawar Singh (chairman, Team Jammu), Abhinav Sharma (former President, Bar Association Jammu), RK Gupta (Senior Judge), Pavitar Singh (president, Joint Jammu Progressive Front), Brig (Retd) MM Choudhary, Col (Retd) Shiv Choudhary, JS Sudan & Yuvraj Gupta (PoK Refugee activists), Anil Modi & Inderjeet Singh Sahni (industrialists), YV Sharma (former president, Chamber of Commerce), Ashok Pahalwan (media person) and Pawan Jain (social activist).
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