Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed Deputy Commissioner Pulwama to administer the oath of office to PDP leader Waheed Para as a District Development Council member three years after he was elected to the council.
High Court judge Rahul Bharti, in whose court Para had filed a petition for directing the DC Pulwama to administer him oath directed: "If there is no legal restriction or prohibition in administering the oath of office to the petitioner, then the deputy commissioner shall not default in carrying out the statutory duty of administering oath of office to the petitioner notwithstanding the pendency of the present writ petition."
Para in his plea has said the election entitles him to take the oath of office for which the Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Pulwama District Development Council, has to invite the elected member for the needful purpose. He is yet to take oath as a DDC member as he was jailed by NIA on allegations of being linked with militancy and was arrested by NIA two days after he filed his nomination for DDC contestant from Pulwama-1 in on November 25, 2020. He was released on bail in May 2022.
The DDC elections were held in December 2020 and Para won by a margin of 529 votes against his rival while being in jail. His family and supporters had campaigned for his DDC election while he was in jail. Out of 1,851 votes polled in DDC Pulwama-1, Para got 1,322. His counsel filed a petition in NIA Court for the oath which had directed the jail authorities to make arrangements for him to take the oath over video conferencing. However, the J&K High Court stayed the order on 22 January 2021 and suggested the administration seek permission and administer the oath physically.
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