NCP MLAs Deshmukh, Malik move HC seeking release from jail for MLC polls

Mumbai: Jailed NCP legislators Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh on Monday approached the Bombay High Court seeking to be released from prison for a day on June 20 to cast their vote in elections to the MLC.

Deshmukh and Malik, both members of the Legislative Assembly, could not cast their vote in the Rajya Sabha elections held on June 10 after a special court refused to release them to take part in the poll process.

The duo has now sought to be released from jail for

one day on June 20 to vote in MLC elections.

Deshmukh, a former home minister of Maharashtra, filed an application for one day release from prison in his bail plea submitted earlier this year. The NCP leader's application was mentioned by his advocate Inderpal Singh before a single bench of Justice N J Jamadar.

Justice Jamadar posted the matter for hearing on June 15.

The plea of Malik, a sitting cabinet minister, was mentioned before a single bench of Justice Bharati Dangre. His lawyer Kushal Mor sought permission to get Malik's plea tagged with Deshmukh's application and for both the matters to be heard on June 15 by Justice Jamadar.

Justice Dangre asked Mor to mention the matter on June 14.

Malik's lawyers Taraq Sayed and Kushal Mor had initially sought to amend an earlier petition filed by the state minister challenging a special court order refusing to release him on June 10 for voting in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Sayed told a single bench of Justice PD Naik that the prayers are still the same and that only the date would have to be amended from June 10 to June 20.

Justice Naik, however, noted that the cause of action was different and that Malik's earlier petition had become infructuous as the elections he wanted to vote in (Rajya Sabha) was over.