Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 20: The Research and Advocacy Group (RAAG) today organized a seminar for members of the legal fraternity at the Lawyers’ Chambers, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu.
The seminar was held on the theme “Shree Guru Teg Bahadur Ji: A Sacrificial Legacy Shaping India’s Constitutional Ethos of Religious Freedom under Article 25.”
Kuldeep Chand Agnihotri, former Vice Chancellor, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, delivered the keynote address. D S Saini, former President, J&K High Court Bar Association, Jammu (JKHCBAJ), was the chief guest, while Nirmal Kotwal, President JKHCBAJ, attended as guest of honour. The seminar featured distinguished speakers including Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi, Senior Advocate Surinder Kaur, and Pradeep Dutta, Senior Journalist.
In his keynote address, Kuldeep Chand Agnihotri distinguished between dharma and religion, terming their conflation a flawed Western construct. He explained that dharma signifies duty which is Raj Dharma for the State to uphold the rule of law, the teacher’s duty to educate honestly, and the doctor’s duty to treat patients with compassion.
Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi observed that while resistance to Mughal oppression existed, the sacrifice of Shree Guru Teg Bahadur Ji became a beacon that inspired widespread resistance and fortified the spirit of religious freedom.
Pradeep Dutta contrasted Guru Teg Bahadur Ji’s inclusive philosophy with the exclusivist policies of the Mughals, drawing parallels between historical religious oppression and the atrocities faced by Kashmiri Hindus in the 1990s.
Senior Advocate Surinder Kaur reflected on Guru Teg Bahadur Ji’s life of tapasya, underscoring his humility and moral courage.
Nirmal Kotwal congratulated the organizers and remarked that during the Mughal era, the subcontinent lived under pervasive fear with freedom gravely threatened.
D S Saini recalled the brutal torture and execution of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji and his disciples for refusing to renounce their faith. The programme was coordinated by Advocate Prem Sadotra and Advocate Arvind Khajuria. The vote of thanks was proposed by Advocate Baldev Singh, Vice President JKHCBAJ.
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