SRINAGAR: Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court disposed of a petition wherein a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Basant Kumar had sought security cover.

Last month, Basant Rath, was subjected to premature retirement by the Ministry of Home Affairs in "public interest."

High Court Judge Rajnesh Oswal in an order on September 11, allowed the petitioner Basant Rath to approach the concerned agencies for redressal of his grievances.

In the instant Writ petition, the petitioner had shown himself to be the resident of District Samba and filed the petition before Srinagar Wing of High Court, seeking security cover along with accommodation and vehicle in his favour from the respondents.

“Nothing has been placed on record which would reflect that the petitioner had at any point of time approached the respondents for redressal of his grievance(s). Be that as it may, the present Writ petition is disposed of by permitting the petitioner to approach the concerned agencies for redressal of his grievance(s), if any,” the order read while disposing off the petition. (UNI)

SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija on Friday hit out at the government for curbing her right to travel abroad by issuing a “conditional and country specific” passport .

She also accused Regional Passport Officer and J&K police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of “misleading” the court on the issuance of passport to her.
Iltija had applied for her passport renewal in June 2022. In February Iltija approached Jammu and Kashmir High Court and sought its intervention for issuance of passport. On Thursday, Iltija was issued a two year United Arab Emirates (UAE) specific passport for higher studies.
“The Regional Passport Officer, Kashmir Davinder Kumar and the CID misled the honourable judiciary,” she said while addressing a press conference in Srinagar.
“The RPO informed the court that they issued a passport to me.
It is a two-year passport and is mentioned clearly that it is valid only for the UAE . The Deputy Solicitor General also requested the court that my petition may be dismissed as the passport has been issued to Iltija. What passport is this?” she asked.
Iltija said she is an Indian and law-abiding citizen and is being deprived from the fundamental right to travel abroad.
“I'm not involved in any FIR or any other anti-national activity, how come the passport officer issued me a conditional passport?” she asked.
The PDP chief's daughter claimed that the Official Secrets Act has been invoked against her which is usually invoked for espionage.
“Am I a fugitive? a terrorist or anti-national that I am being punished? If I criticise the government, is it like talking against the country? What is my fault?" she asked.
" If you (CID)are so confident about your report, then why did you have to invoke the Official Secrets Act? Why do you not want the document to come out in the public domain?" Iltija asked.
She claimed that she was being treated like a hardened criminal and this all was happening because she is the daughter of a former chief minister. .
Iltija said she will fight for her rights.
"I will not withdraw my petition even as there is tremendous pressure on us to withdraw it. I will continue to fight it in the court," she said. (UNI)