Srinagar, Oct 18: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Saturday told the High Court of J&K and Ladakh that arrangements have been made to ensure that detenue Mehraj Malik is able to cast his vote in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
During the hearing before Justice Rajesh Sekhri, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi, assisted by Senior Additional Advocate General Monika Kohli, submitted that the postal ballot had already been sent to the competent authority, facilitating Malik’s participation in the October 24 elections.
The submission came in response to an application filed by Malik, who sought permission to vote and attend the forthcoming assembly session. While the petitioner’s counsel, led by Senior Advocate Rahul Pant, sought urgent directions on both aspects, the government’s side clarified that voting arrangements were already in place.
The Court, however, noted that the government’s reply had not yet been formally placed on record and directed the registry to ensure its inclusion. The matter was adjourned to October 27 for further hearing, specifically to consider Malik’s plea to attend the assembly session beginning October 23.
The Court also directed the authorities to ensure that the detenue is able to cast his vote in accordance with legal provisions.
As reported earlier, postal ballots have already been dispatched to District Jail Kathua, where Malik remains under detention.
