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

Srinagar : 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 detenue Mehraj Malik is able to exercise his vote in Rajya Sabha elections.

Appearing before Justice Rajesh Sekhri, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi, along with Senior Additional Advocate General Monika Kohli, as per news agency 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 participate in the upcoming assembly session. While the petitioners, led by Senior Advocate Rahul Pant and a team of lawyers, pressed for urgent consideration of both prayers, the government’s counsel clarified that steps had already been taken to address the voting aspect.

However, the Court noted that the government’s reply to the application was not yet on record. It directed the registry to ensure the reply is properly placed and scheduled the matter for further hearing on October 27, 2025, specifically to consider the second prayer regarding Malik’s physical participation in the assembly session commencing October 23.

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

It is worthwhile to mention that KNO had exclusively reported on Friday that postal ballots have been dispatched to district jail Kathua where Malik is currently under detention—(KNO)