Srinagar, July 13 -- By Hasnain Khawaja

Voters in Baramulla did something bold in 2024.

They elected a man sitting in judicial custody to speak for them in Parliament, betting that his voice would eventually reach the floor of the Lok Sabha.

It hasn't, at least not reliably.

Er. Rashid's attendance depends on judges granting him permission to leave custody, hearing by hearing, session by session.

The arrangement raises a question bigger than one man's case: what happens to a democracy when the ballot box and the jail cell compete for the same person, and the jail cell keeps winning?

Start with what the law actually allows.

Nothing in India's election code disqualifies a person in pretrial custody from standing for office.

Rashid c...