Omar’s sons plead PSA case of Pulwama youth, HC orders release

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir precocious tribunal connected Friday quashed the preventive detention of a antheral booked nether the Public Safety Act (PSA) for alleged engagement successful anti-national activities.The detainee, Sajad Ahmad Bhat of Drabgam, Pulwama, was represented by Zameer Abdullah and Zahir Abdullah, the 2 sons of J&K main curate Omar Abdullah.According to the judgment, Bhat was placed nether preventive detention aft being accused successful FIR No. 119 of 2020 astatine Police Station Rajpora for offences punishable nether the Indian Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.The Pulwama territory magistrate, successful a detention bid connected April 30, 2025, had stated that Bhat had “re-activated his contacts” and was “in adjacent interaction with progressive terrorists successful the area”, enabling them to evade arrest.

The bid had described his activities arsenic “highly prejudicial to the information of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir” and warranting preventive detention nether the PSA.Pleading earlier a azygous seat of Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi, the defence lawyers argued that Bhat had already been arrested successful the 2020 FIR and was aboriginal released connected bail by a competent tribunal connected Nov 13, 2023 successful the case.In its order, the HC observed that “the counsel for the petitioner person successfully shown that the detainee had been granted bail by a competent tribunal of law, and the impugned detention order, based connected the aforesaid FIR, is an result of stale allegations”.

The seat said the detention bid issued successful 2025 was based connected a lawsuit registered successful 2020, terming it “stale” and lacking a “proximate link” betwixt the alleged actions and the contiguous information situation.The HC directed that the petition beryllium allowed, the detention bid beryllium quashed and the respondents directed to merchandise the detainee forthwith if not required successful immoderate different case.The judgement comes astatine a clip erstwhile PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has moved the HC seeking the instrumentality to the UT of each undertrials held successful jails extracurricular Jammu and Kashmir.Outside the HC successful Jammu connected Monday, Mehbooba said they were hoping that the elected govt would instrumentality enactment connected the contented of undertrial prisoners lodged successful jails extracurricular J&K.National Conference, however, utilized the judgement to criticise Mehbooba. “While Mehbooba Mufti opts for theatrics with zero payment to those nether detention, Zamir and Zahir softly bash the existent work, offering help, ineligible aid, and enactment without the drama. What’s needed isn’t sound extracurricular courts but enactment wrong them,” NC spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said. “National Conference remains committed to advocating the merchandise of those with insignificant oregon nary charges, and to ensuring that others lodged successful distant jails crossed the state are brought backmost to J&K,” helium said.