Prominent People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Ahmed Parra has been prohibited from traveling outside Jammu and Kashmir to accompany his ailing father for cancer treatment in Mumbai. The court upheld this travel ban as part of the conditions of his bail, which was imposed in connection with an ongoing trial.
Mr. Parra’s father is battling an advanced stage of Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and the necessity of his son’s presence during his medical treatment was the basis for the plea. However, the Court of Special Judge designated under the NIA Act in Srinagar, Sandeep Gandotra, rejected Mr. Parra’s plea after considering arguments from his counsel and the APP for Jammu and Kashmir.
The court noted, “The applicant is facing trial before this court in case FIR No 31/2020 of Police Station CIK Srinagar. Charges for offenses under Sections 13, 17, 18, 38, 39, and 40 of the UAP Act and under Sections 120-B, 121, 121-A, and 124-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) have been framed against him.”
Furthermore, the court expressed concern that Mr. Parra had a history of repeatedly seeking permission to travel outside Jammu and Kashmir and abroad, stating, “It appears that the accused and applicant is in the habit of moving applications to go outside J&K and outside the country on one pretext or another.”
This decision has sparked discussions about the balance between legal proceedings and humanitarian concerns in such cases, as Mr. Parra’s family continues to navigate the challenging circumstances surrounding his father’s health.