Srinagar: The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has quashed a preventive detention order issued against a man under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), calling the action careless and illegal.

Justice Rahul Bharti set aside the detention order passed in April 2024 against Shabir Ahmad by the District Magistrate, Anantnag, under Section 8 of the PSA. The court said the law was invoked with less seriousness than what is required even for issuing a routine traffic challan.

The detention had been ordered based on a police dossier submitted by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Anantnag.

Authorities had alleged that Ahmad was in contact with a person accused in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and was active on social media.

However, the court noted that Ahmad was neither named as an accused nor listed as an undertrial in the FIR. It also observed that he had earlier been released due to lack of evidence.

The court found no material on record to justify his preventive detention. It said the District Magistrate’s satisfaction appeared to be merely a repetition of the police dossier without proper application of mind.

Calling the detention illegal from the beginning, the court ordered Ahmad’s immediate release.

The petitioner was represented by advocate Shabir Ahmad Dar.
(Bar and Bench)