Ahmedabad: A GujCTOC accused on Thursday approached the Gujarat high court seeking directions to the state govt to allow him to file nominations for the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC) elections.The petitioner Altaf Khafi’s counsel, I H Syed, submitted that Khafi may be allowed to file nomination under police escort. Khafi is in police remand at present. Since he is not in judicial custody, he cannot seek bail. Moreover, it was argued that Khafi has been booked in three different cases recently. His arrest in the first FIR took place on Feb 2, for which he was released on bail. However, he was arrested in the second FIR on Thursday and is under custodial interrogation. Even if he gets bail, he can be arrested in the third FIR registered against him on April 5. This process might take some time, and the deadline for filing nominations for the civic polls is approaching, the counsel submitted. The counsel cited Supreme Court judgments to state that an accused could be released for filing nominations. After the hearing, Justice M R Mengdey asked Khafi to approach the court concerned for appropriate remedy. Khafi withdrew his petition to seek the relief from the lower court, and the HC directed the lower court to decide Khafi’s applications on Friday. “It is made clear that if the petitioner approaches the concerned forum with an application, the same shall be considered by the concerned forum as expeditiously as possible, preferably by April 10,” the court order reads. Meanwhile, another GujCTOC accused, Aslam Khilji, filed his nomination for JMC elections after he was taken to the returning officer under police escort.
