Jammu: To commemorate adoption of Constitution of India and honour and acknowledge the contribution of founding fathers of Constitution, 71st Constitution Day was celebrated in both the wings of High Court of Jammu and Kashmir.
On the occasion, Chief Justice, High Court of J&K and Patron-in-Chief J&K Legal Services Authority Gita Mittal, led the reading of the preamble to the Constitution at Jammu Wing of the High Court. Executive Chairman, J&K Legal Services Authority, Justice Rajesh Bindal, Justice Sindhu Sharma, Justice Sanjay Dhar, Justice Puneet Gupta and Justice Javed Iqbal were also present during the ceremony at Jammu.
Meanwhile, Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Rajnesh Oswal also joined the celebration through virtual mode.
At Srinagar Wing, the preamble reading was led by Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey.
The ceremony was also attended by Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul at Srinagar Wing.
On account of guidelines and SOPs with regard to containment of COVID-19 pandemic in the country the function was celebrated through Video Conference.
The officers and officials of the Registry in both the wings of the High Court joined the reading of the preamble through virtual mode.
As part of commemoration, a handbook on Fundamental Duties published by J&K Legal Services Authority was released by Chief Justice, Gita Mittal, in presence of Justice Rajesh Bindal, and the judges of the High Court of J&K and officers and officials of the Registry.
Chief Justice Gita Mittal in her foreword stated that the Rights flow from Duties and if everyone performs one’s Duty, Rights would be automatically protected. She further stated that just as the fundamental rights are imperative for the progress of a nation, so are the fundamental duties.
Justice Rajesh Bindal in his message stated that the objective behind engrafting Article 51-A in the Constitution of India cannot be achieved unless the citizens are made aware of their Constitutional Duties.
High Court of Jammu and Kashmir also organized a webinar on the topic “Preamble to the Constitution of India and the Idea of Inclusion” in which Gautam Bhatia, Advocate and Research Scholar at Oxford University, United Kingdom was the resource person.
Program was attended by Chief Justice, Judges of the High Court and Judicial Officers serving in J&K and Ladakh. Law Researchers and Law interns with the Judges of the High Court also attended the webinar.
Gautam Bhatia in his address talked about historical perspective of making of Constitution and quoted from the Constitutional Assembly debates to highlight the importance of preamble to the Constitution. He related the provisions of the Constitution to the idea of Inclusion as was developed during the India freedom struggle.
