HC lists plea seeking ban on Farooq, Omar, Mehbooba on poll participation for Apr 12

New Delhi: A Delhi High Court judge on Wednesday recused himself from hearing a petition seeking a direction to the Election Commission to bar Jammu and Kashmir politicians Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti from participating in the Lok Sabha election.
Justice A.J. Bhambhani, who was part of the Bench headed by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon, recused himself from hearing the matter.
“List it before a Bench in which one of us, that is, Justice Bhambhani, is not a member,” the Chief Justice said, posting the case for April 12. The petition said the recent statements made by the three in public and social media were allegedly seditious.
The plea sought a direction to ban National Conference leaders Mr. Farooq Abdullah, Mr. Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party’s Ms. Mehbooba Mufti from participating in the Lok Sabha election.
“Will it not be a mockery of democracy to allow those people and parties to participate in the Lok Sabha election when people/parties openly call for sedition to divide Mother India on the basis of religion [Muslim majority] and two Prime Ministers [for Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India]…,” the petition said.
The petition has also sought a direction to book them under various charges, including sedition and inciting hatred, of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.
Mr. Kumaar said the three politicians “have no faith in the Indian Constitution and hence they and their party PDP and NC should be barred from participating in the Lok Sabha election.”