J&K Congress leaders appeal against UP court ruling violating 2012 election law – Today’s newspaper.

Vikar Rasool Wani, the party’s candidate for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, on Friday said he will move the high court against a 2012 judgment of a lower court in Uttar Pradesh in a case related to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

According to media reports, the UP court sentenced Mr. Rasool to five months’ imprisonment and fined him Rs 1,000. The Congress leader had organised a public meeting at the junior high school in Gurawati Mitapur village “without permission”, in apparent violation of Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

“I was the general secretary of the All India Youth Congress in 2012 and an MLA. I went to UP to address a rally. People sat in the school and the ECI took notice of it. However, I did not receive a court summons until 2024. After several hearings, the verdict was pronounced. Nine of the 13 accused have been released, including the person who organised the rally,” Mr Rathore said.

The Congress leader said he would appeal to a higher court and seek transfer of the case to J&K. “In these cases, a warning is issued and a small fine is imposed. However, I accept the court’s decision,” he said.

The court ruling is unlikely to disqualify Mr Rasool from contesting the Banihal election in J&K. Only those sentenced to two years in prison are barred from contesting elections in the country.