Congress leader Vikar Rasool Wani addressing a press conference in Srinagar. File
| Photo Credit: Nissar Ahmad
Congress leader Vikar Rasool Wani, a party candidate from Banihal constituency for the upcoming Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday said he will go to a higher court against the sentence granted by a lower court of Uttar Pradesh against him in a 2012 case related to violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
A U.P. court, according to media reports, sentenced Mr. Rasool to five months in prison and imposed a fine of ₹1,000. The Congress leader apparently violated Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code by organising a public meeting at Junior High School in Mithapur village of Gulavathi “without permission”.
“I was Youth Congress’ All India general secretary in 2012 and also an MLA. I went to U.P. to address a rally. People were sitting in a school and the ECI took notice of it. However, I received no summons from the court till 2024. After a few hearings, a sentence was announced. Nine out of 13 accused have already been released, including the one who organised the rally,” Mr. Rasool said.
The Congress leader said he will appeal against the sentence in a higher court and also seek transfer of the case to J&K. “In such cases, warnings are issued with a minor fine. However, I accept the court decision,” he said.
The court sentence was unlikely to disqualify Mr. Rasool from contesting elections in J&K’s Banihal. Only those who are sentenced to two years of imprisonment are barred from contesting elections in the country.
