Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court admits petition seeking consular access of Kashmiri engineer jailed in Saudi Arabia

Srinagar, Feb 21: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has admitted a writ petition asking the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to ensure consular access to a Kashmiri engineer  who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for over four years.

The family claims Abdul Rafi Baba has been imprisoned on false charges and the Soura resident left for Saudi Arabia ten years ago where he was employed at King Faisal University, Hafoof Al Hasa.

Justice Rahul Bharti directed filing of a status report on the case before the next hearing on March 4. On Monday, Rafi's family approached the court seeking protection of his liberty and legal assistance.

On March 1, 2020, Abdul Rafi was arrested by Saudi authorities from his workplace, his father earlier told Greater Kashmir, adding that his arrest was linked to internal disputes within his company and that he had been falsely implicated.

The family has sought his release. The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), which sought urgent intervention of MEA for his repatriation, has said that it has been informed that  the consular access has been granted multiple times, with visits conducted on May 3, 2021, September 6, 2022, February 20, 2023, September 5, 2023, and recently on September 11, 2024.