After more than three years, J&K high court has allowed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislator and senior leader Waheed ur Rehman Parra to travel to any part of the country.
Para was granted bail by a division bench of the HC in May 2022 on a surety of ₹1 lakh with directions to be present before the investigating officer as and when required, and to surrender his passport and not leave the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir without the prior permission of the trial court.
Para who is an elected legislator from Pulwama had earlier challenged the order and had sought relaxation of terms/ conditions imposed by the court while granting him bail.
The order was given by double bench of J&K high court comprising justice Vinod Chatterjee Koul and justice Sanjeev Kumar. “It is submitted by Shariq J Reyas, learned counsel appearing for the applicant that the applicant is a member of Legislative Assembly and has to move out of the Union territory time and again in connection with his official and other duties and this condition is creating a lot of hardship and inconvenience to him as he has to approach the trail court , everytime he has to go out of Union territory, for seeking permission. In the view of the submissions made by the learned counsel for the applicant, we are out of the considered opinion that it would be in the interest of justice to modify the condition No.(ii) of the aforesaid bail order that the petitioner shall be entitled to leave the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and move within the country after intimating his location and purpose of visit to the trail court,” the double bench said in a two page order.
Parra termed it a small but meaningful part of his freedom. “After five years of a painful legal battle, the J&K HC has allowed me to travel outside Jammu & Kashmir. In moments when my own family needed me, in grief, loss, all I could do was wait & feel the helplessness, which leaves a mark that never truly fades. You begin to understand the meaning of freedom only when it is taken from you and you feel the suffering of others more deeply when you’ve carried that weight yourself. Over the years, I’ve met families living under similar restraints and their pain has stayed with me every single day and today I’m reminded of how many people still live with silent burdens,” Para wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}Parra termed it a small but meaningful part of his freedom. “After five years of a painful legal battle, the J&K HC has allowed me to travel outside Jammu & Kashmir. In moments when my own family needed me, in grief, loss, all I could do was wait & feel the helplessness, which leaves a mark that never truly fades. You begin to understand the meaning of freedom only when it is taken from you and you feel the suffering of others more deeply when you’ve carried that weight yourself. Over the years, I’ve met families living under similar restraints and their pain has stayed with me every single day and today I’m reminded of how many people still live with silent burdens,” Para wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}He said that throughout these difficult, dark years, one institution that continued to give hope - the judiciary. “Today, I am thankful to the J&K HC for restoring this small but meaningful part of my freedom.”