Govt. tells SC it will release J&K High Court Bar Association president Mian Abdul Qayoom

New Delhi, July 29: The government on Wednesday conveyed to the Supreme Court its intention to immediately release senior lawyer and Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association president Mian Abdul Qayoom from a nearly year-long detention.

Appearing before a Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta agreed with the court’s suggestion that Mr. Qayoom ought to remain in Delhi till August 7 and not issue any statement, The Hindu reported.

In an earlier hearing, the government had informed that it would not detain Mr. Qayoom beyond August 6.

Mr. Qayoom’s detention period under the Public Safety Act (PSA) expires on August 6. He has been in detention for almost a year since the Centre abrogated the special rights of the Kashmiri people under Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5, 2019.

Mr. Qayoom’s lawyers, senior advocate Dushyant Dave and advocate Vrinda Grover, have been insisting on his immediate release. They had said his detention was illegal.

The court had asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to explain the basis for detaining the 73-year-old Qayoom for a year. “He is 73. We want to know on what basis you like to detain him in Tihar (Jail). His detention as per the order has already expired,” Justice Kaul had said during a hearing. Mr. Qayoom has been detained under the PSA since August 7 last year. His petition said he was taken to Agra Jail without “prior intimation”.

The J&K High Court had rejected his habeas corpus petition to quash his “illegal and prolonged detention” on May 28.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/govt-tells-sc-it-will-release-jk-high-court-bar-association-president-mian-abdul-qayoom/article32219766.ece