Sir Hari Singh GCSI GCIE GCVO (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir of the Dogra dynasty.

He was required to accede to the Dominion of India to get the support of Indian troops against an invasion by tribal armed men and the Pakistan Army into his state.

[4] Hari Singh was born in the Dogra Rajput royal family on September 1895 at the Amar Mahal, Palace, Jammu.

A year later, in 1909, his father died and the British took a keen interest in his education, appointing Major H. K. Barr as his guardian.

After Mayo College, Hari Singh went to the British-run Imperial Cadet Corps at Dehradun for military training.

[11] In April 1932, as per recommendations of the Glancy Commission, the Praja Sabha was established, made up of 75 members – 12 government officials, 16 state councillors, 14 nominated, and 33 elected (21 Muslims, 10 Hindus and 2 Sikhs).

[12][13] On 7 September 1939 Maharaja Hari Singh and his law and Revenue Minister, Justice Sir Lal Gopal Mukherjee, a former judge of the Allahabad high court (1926–1934) who had served the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1935 to 1940, produced a written constitution for Jammu and Kashmir which was the "pioneer" in the annals of Asia's constitutional history; despite the fact that it was anything but a people-friendly "Magna Carta" for the state.

[14] He made primary education compulsory in the state, introduced laws prohibiting child marriage, and opened places of worship to low caste subjects.

Hari Singh opted to remain independent for the immediate future since the dominions were beset with partition violence and he needed time to weigh the options in the context of his Muslim-majority population.

Pressure from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel eventually compelled Singh to appoint his son and heir, Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh, as Prince Regent of Jammu and Kashmir in 1949, although he remained the titular Maharaja of the state until 1952 when the monarchy was abolished by Nehru's government.

Two of his wives passed away childless and a third Rajasthani bride was sent back with honour, to her parents' house as the couple could not establish an emotional connection.

[54] Also, Hari Singh faced political and domestic conspiracies at this time and thought it appropriate to send back the third wife to safety.