HC refrains from hearing plea to bar Farooq, Omar from LS polls

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday refrained from hearing a plea seeking direction to the Election Commission to bar Jammu and Kashmir politicians Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti from participating in the Lok Sabha election as they have allegedly made "seditious" statements.

The court asked the petitioner to move the appropriate forum with his grievance after which the petition was withdrawn. "Dismissed as withdrawn," said a bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Prateek Jalan. The petition filed by a lawyer alleged that the "seditious and communal statements" given by the three leaders were against the Constitution, adding that the court or the EC should bar or impose conditions on their entry into the Lok Sabha.

All the three leaders are former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir. The petition has arrayed the EC, the Union of India, the Delhi Police, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti as parties to the petition.

The plea moved by advocate Sanjjiiv Kkumaar has also sought a direction to book them under various charges, including sedition and inciting hatred, of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. "Issue directions to the respondent number 1 (EC) to ban the NC and the PDP from Lok Sabha election 2019 as respondent number 4 and 6 (the three leaders) are presidents of their respective parties and represent their parties and their ideologies," it alleged.