Jammu, October 18, 2025 : The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Saturday directed the Union Territory government to ensure that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik is able to cast his vote in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections for four seats.
Malik, currently detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) at Kathua Jail since September 8, had moved the court seeking permission to attend the Assembly session on October 23 and vote in the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for October 24.
The court, presided over by Justice Rajesh Sekhri, instructed the authorities to facilitate the legislator’s voting rights, noting that postal ballots have already been dispatched to the jail.
Malik was represented by Senior Advocate Rahul Pant and a team of lawyers including S.S. Ahmed, Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, Appu Singh Slathia, Tariq Mughal, and M. Zulkarnain Chowdhary, who urged the court to consider the matter urgently.
On behalf of the government, Senior Additional Advocate General Monika Kohli and Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi informed the court that postal ballots had been sent to ensure the MLA’s participation. Officials confirmed that Assembly Secretary Manoj Pandit, who also serves as the Returning Officer for the Rajya Sabha polls, dispatched three postal ballots to Kathua Jail. Malik’s identity will be authenticated through a declaration by the Jail Superintendent.
As per election procedures, two Rajya Sabha seats will be contested separately, while two others are clubbed under a common notification — allowing each legislator to cast three votes. The National Conference has fielded four candidates, while the BJP has nominated three.
