Instrument of Accession of Jammu and Kashmir

The legal instrument signed by Maharaja Hari Singh in 1947, acceding Jammu and Kashmir to India and transferring authority over specified subjects to the Dominion of India.

Maharaja Hari Singh: The last ruling maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, who signed its Instrument of Accession to India. As ruler, he signed the instrument on 26 October 1947.
Government of India Act 1935: A British statute that provided a constitutional framework for India and was adapted for the Dominion of India after independence. The instrument adopted its federal legislative framework for defining the Dominion’s powers.
First Kashmir War: The 1947–1948 war between India and Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir. Indian forces entered the state after accession, beginning the first India–Pakistan war over Kashmir.
Plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir: A proposed vote intended to let the people of Jammu and Kashmir determine the territory’s political future. A plebiscite would address popular choice, which the ruler’s signature alone did not establish.
1947 Partition of India: The division of British India into the independent states of India and Pakistan in August 1947. Partition ended British paramountcy and left princely states to choose accession.
Union List: The constitutional list of subjects on which India’s central government may legislate. The instrument initially assigned the Dominion legislative authority over specified subjects corresponding to this list.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 47: A 1948 Security Council resolution addressing the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir and recommending a ceasefire and steps toward a plebiscite. The resolution addressed the conflict that followed accession and proposed a process tied to the state’s future.
Indian accession claim in Jammu and Kashmir: India’s position that Jammu and Kashmir legally acceded to India through Hari Singh’s 1947 instrument. This claim treats the signed instrument as establishing legal accession to India.
Kashmir conflict: The enduring political and territorial conflict over Jammu and Kashmir, chiefly between India and Pakistan. The instrument became a central legal and political reference in the conflict.
Defence: The organization and conduct of military protection against external threats. Defence was one of the subjects transferred to India under the instrument.

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