Srinagar: A Srinagar court rejected a plea by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth president Waheed Parra, seeking permission to travel outside the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for his father’s cancer treatment for a year.
The 34-year-old PDP leader, who won the District Development Council (DDC) electionin 2020, had sought one time permission from the court for a year to travel outside the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to Mumbai and New Delhi in connection with the routine treatment of his father Ghulam Ahmad Parra who is suffering from serious medical emergency “Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma” Advanced/4th stage.
Parra has been prohibited by J&K High Court from leaving union territory as part of his bail conditions.
He was released on bail in May last year and faces charges in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly supporting “terrorist activities.”
Special Judge Designated Under NIA Act Sandeep Gandotra dismissed the application of Parra.
The order said a blanket permission for one year cannot be granted to the applicant to go outside the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
“…not only the trial of the case will be hampered by the absence of accused on the dates on which witnesses would appear in this case for recording of their statements, but there are apprehensions that he will misuse the liberty, if granted, to again try and connect with elements anywhere in India, who are suspected of running terrorist and secessionist network.
There are also apprehensions of the applicant trying to influence the collection of evidence,” the order issued by the Additional Sessions Judge read.
The court held that Parra was “in the habit of moving applications” to go outside J&K and outside the country on one pretext or another.
The Judge referred to an application filed by Parra who had earlier sought permission to go to USA for three months to attend YALE fellowship and when the said application has been dismissed, the applicant has filed this application seeking blanket permission for one year to go to TATA Memorial Center Mumbai for treatment of his ailing father.
Parra had pleaded that being the elder son and responsible for taking decisions, the medical condition of his father is inconsistent and worsening frequently and the same requires constant and quite recurrently, a medical intervention and treatment outside the Union Territory of J&K in reputed medical institutions of the country; that in such an eventuality of any such emergent situation.
The government lawyer in the objections stated that the charges against the Parra are extremely serious in nature ranging from having close links with foreign/local terrorists, to funding, aiding and supporting the terrorist’s activities or terrorist’s organizations.
“The activities of the accused who has remained a political figure are a disgrace to any democracy in the world. The accused in order to protect and promote the narrow personal and political interests has systematically invigorated himself and his party by establishing his roots with Pakistan and with its sinister agencies; that the accused is a saga of deceit and double dealings and his activities over the year has been prejudicial to Indian integrity and sovereignty.
With these charges the efforts of the accused to move out of the court’s Jurisdiction and to subvert the judicial trial is quite obvious,” the government lawyer argued.
The government lawyer informed the court that at the instance of IO ( Investigating Officer) the Regional Passport Officer Srinagar after being satisfied that the activities of the Parra post a threat to India’s security had impounded his passport in terms of Section 10(3)(e) of the Passport Act 1969.
