Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy is launching its first digital book 'Hamīñ Ast? A Biography of Article 370' on August 5, 2022.

The book is co-authored by Arghya Sengupta, Jinaly Dani, Kevin James and Pranay Modi.

'Hamīñ Ast' tells the untold story of how Jammu and Kashmir became a part of India in 1947, achieved special status in 1950, shared a fractious relationship with New Delhi for the next seven decades, only to be reduced to a Union Territory in 2019.

This book is a journey of a provision of law from its cradle to its grave, through a contested birth, lawyerly mechanisms in its early years, endemic political skullduggery, episodic displays of judicial statesmanship and a sudden and swift demise. It demystifies the complex legal provisions for a general reader. It is an attempt to fill the void of sparse literature that exists on one of the most complex provisions of the Constitution of India, through a detailed biography of Article 370.

Panellists at the book launch include:

• Wajahat Habibullah, Former Chief Information Commissioner;

• Amitabh Mattoo, Professor, JNU;

• Mridu Rai, Professor, Presidency University and;

• Mahendra Pal Singh, Director, Centre for Comparative Law at Jindal Global Law School.

Arghya Sengupta, Founder and Research Director at Vidhi will be in conversation with them.

The event will begin with a Santoor-Sitar Jugalbandi performed by Saptarshi Mondal, Vijay Vishwakarma & Manoj K Sharma.

Navi Books is a new initiative by Vidhi offering a unique digital reading experience that demystifies books on complex subjects for the general reader.

Register for the look launch here.