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Scholars, jurists and social workers who had assembled at a seminar in New Delhi, expressed deep anguish over the proposed Jammu and Kashmir Permanent Resident (Disqualification) Bill 2004 and termed it as an insult to judiciary. They criticised the PDP-Congress coalition government for referring the Bill to a committee rather than withdrawing it permanently as it attacked on the rights of women of the state. ?It is an act to disobey the judiciary and also to insult the entire judicial system. The political parties of the state have hit at the fundamental rights that the J&K High Court had restored in 2002,? said Indresh Kumar, Akhil Bharatiya Sahprachar Pramukh of RSS. Describing the Bill as anti-women and anti-human rights, he said that there was a conspiracy to deprive women of the state, who marry outside the state, of their right to property, voting and getting a government job.
Participating in the discussion, Smt. Pinki Anand, an advocate, expressed concern over the growing incidents of discrimination against women in J&K and called upon women of the country to oppose the Bill tooth and nail.
Dr Jyotsna Singh, daughter of Dr Karan Singh, criticised the state government for targeting the rights of women. She asked the state government to withdraw the Bill immediately. President of Delhi Study Group and MLA in Delhi Assembly, Vijay Jolly proposed the vote of thanks. Girish Juyal, organising general secretary, Himalaya Parivar; Bhupendra Kansal, general secretary, Himalaya Parivar; and Ashok Garg of Delhi Study Group also shared the dais. (FOC)
