HC dismisses plea against Mehbooba, Omar, Farooq

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on Kashmiri leaders Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah from participating in the Lok Sabha elections.

A division bench headed by Justice Ravindra Bhat asked petitioner and advocate Sanjjiiv Kkumar to approach the Election Commission.

Thereafter, the petitioner withdrew his plea.

The court on Thursday was hearing the petition which has sought a direction to the poll panel to ban the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from taking part in the general elections as "the loyalties of the leaders of these parties lie elsewhere and not in the Indian Constitution".

The petition has also sought direction to book them on various charges including sedition.

In his plea, the petitioner said allowing these leaders to contest the elections would be a mockery of democracy as these people openly call for a division of "Mother India" on the basis of religion and are demanding two Prime Ministers -- one for Jammu and Kashmir and another for the rest of India.

The petitioner told the court that National Conference President Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah's statements that they would demand revival of the post of Wazir-e-Azam and Sadar-e-Riyasat for Kashmir was unacceptable.

"Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah's seditious, communal statements are against the Indian Constitution and hence the court/Election Commission should bar/impose conditions on their entry to a very constitutional House (Lok Sabha) as their loyalties lie somewhere else and not to the Indian Constitution," the plea said.