Srinagar, Nov — The Jammu & Kashmir High Court will take up the preventive detention case of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik again on 4 December, when the bench is scheduled to continue hearing the arguments challenging his detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
During the previous hearings, Malik’s counsel argued that the PSA dossier prepared by the district administration was “vague, repetitive and unsupported by material evidence,” maintaining that the detention violated his fundamental rights as an elected public representative. The petition also seeks quashing of the PSA order and demands compensation for what is described as unlawful detention.
The government side has maintained that the detention was necessary on account of what they describe as Malik’s “potential to disturb public order.” Officials have already submitted parts of the record, but the court has sought further clarification on several points raised by the petitioner’s counsel.
On 4 December, the court will continue detailed submissions from both sides before deciding the future course of action. The case has drawn wider political attention in Jammu and Kashmir as Malik remains the only MLA detained under the PSA following the Doda unrest earlier this year.
