Postal ballot sent for detained MLA Mehraj Malik, Govt informs High Court

Srinagar, Oct 18: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Saturday informed the High Court of J&K and Ladakh that necessary arrangements have been made to ensure that detained MLA Mehraj Malik can exercise his vote in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

Appearing before Justice Rajesh Sekhri, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi, along with Senior Additional Advocate General Monika Kohli, submitted that the government had already dispatched the postal ballot to the competent authority to facilitate Malik’s participation in the Rajya Sabha election scheduled for October 24, 2025.

The submission came during the hearing of an application filed by Malik, seeking permission to cast his vote and attend the upcoming assembly session. While Senior Advocate Rahul Pant and his team pressed for urgent consideration of both requests, the government’s counsel clarified that the voting aspect had already been addressed.

However, the Court noted that the government’s reply to the application was not yet on record and directed the registry to ensure its placement. The matter was scheduled for further hearing on October 27, 2025, to consider Malik’s plea for physical participation in the assembly session starting October 23.

The Court also directed the government to ensure that the detenue is allowed to cast his vote in accordance with the law.