Srinagar, 21 February 2025 — The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has admitted a writ petition urging the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to secure consular access for Abdul Rafi Baba, a Kashmiri engineer imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for over four years.
Consular access refers to the right of foreign nationals to communicate with and seek assistance from their home country's consulate or embassy when they are detained, arrested, or imprisoned in another country.
This right is governed by international agreements like the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), which mandates that host countries must inform detained foreign nationals of their right to consular assistance and allow consular officials to visit them.
Meanwhile, Justice Rahul Bharti directed the submission of a status report before the next hearing on March 4. Rafi’s family, which approached the court on Monday, is seeking legal assistance and protection of his liberty.
Abdul Rafi, a Soura resident, moved to Saudi Arabia a decade ago and was employed at King Faisal University in Hafoof Al Hasa. He was arrested on March 1, 2020, from his workplace on a charge of cybercrime.
His father earlier told the media that Rafi's arrest was linked to internal disputes within his company and claimed he was wrongfully accused.
The family has demanded his release, while the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has called for urgent MEA intervention for his repatriation.