Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 12: The High Court today directed the Government to facilitate a meeting of two Parliament members and senior leaders of National Conference with their party president and vice-president Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah respectively.
Hearing a petition filed by Hasnain Masoodi and Mohammad Akbar Lone, senior leaders of National Conference and Members of Parliament, the court of Justice Sanjeev Kumar directed the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar to take immediate steps to facilitate a meeting of petitioners with Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, President and vice president of National Conference at the earliest on receipt of the copy of instant order from the court.
The direction followed after the Advocate General of the State and Javed Iqbal (Sr. AAG) stated at Bar that there is no formal restriction put on the petitioners to meet their party president and vice president.
The Advocate General submitted that the State may not be averse to the meeting of petitioners with their president and vice president, provided petitioners ensure that they would not do anything aimed at vitiating the peaceful atmosphere.
Court also directed the Deputy Commissioner to convey day, timing and duration of such meeting to the petitioners individually. “It would be appropriate if the petitioners are permitted to meet Abdullahs separately on different occasions, either on the same day or on different days”, read the order.
It has been made clear to the petitioners that they shall ensure their meeting with their party president and vice president is restricted to a courtesy call and to know about the wellbeing of the aforesaid two persons.
They have been directed that after meeting their party president and vice president, they shall not go to press/media regarding their meeting and deliberations with the Abdullahs.
“That it would be appreciated if the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, ensures meeting of the petitioners with Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah during the course of this week”, the court said and closed the matter with these directions.
The petitioners had filed the petition, seeking indulgence of the Court to direct the respondents to permit them to meet Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, president and vice president of their party, respectively as alleged by petitioners that their party’s two top functionaries have been under house arrest since 5th August 2019 and have not been permitted to meet any party worker or even the relatives.
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