Iltija Mufti files plea in Supreme Court seeking release of Mehbooba Mufti, detained under PSA

New Delhi, September 23: PDP member and the daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti, Iltija Mufti, has filed a habeas corpus for her mother in Supreme Court, challenging her prolonged detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Mehbooba Mufti has been under detention since February 2020.

Iltija Mufti said she is challenging the PSA order and also the extension of her detention. Iltija has referred to Mehbooba Mufti’s detention as illegal and unquestionable in a democracy. A key Opposition leader, Mehbooba Mufti, has been in detention for over a year without a recourse to trial.

Further, Iltija Mufti has also said she is bringing to the court’s notice that despite its order in February, the J&K administration is yet to file a reply, “which shows the respect they have for courts”, India Today reported.

Iltija has also expressed anguish over the treatment her mother Mehbooba Mufti has received where she has been deliberately kept out of bounds for the members of PDP of which she is the president.

PSA is a law enforced in Jammu and Kashmir by virtue of which a person can be detained for up to two years without trial.

Six top politicians, including three former chief ministers were slapped with PSA after their arrest following the abrogation of Article 370 in August. While Farooq Abdullah was detained under PSA in August 2019, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were detained after they completed six months of detention under Section 107 of CrPC.

While Omar and Farooq Abdullah were released earlier this year, Mehbooba Mufti is the only top politician who is still detained under PSA. The MHA in Parliament said no leader is under house arrest anymore, barring Mehbooba Mufti.

MHA has also stated, “At present, there are no restrictions on movement but for the security advisories to maintain the law and order situation and no person is under house arrest in Jammu and Kashmir for reasons not related to public health guidelines.”

“There are no restrictions on movement of any individual, including the protectees of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). Considering the law and order and security situation of a particular area, it is imperative that prior intimation is given by the protected persons regarding their movements etc,” said the MHA in its statement.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/iltija-mufti-files-plea-in-supreme-court-seeking-release-of-mehbooba-mufti-1724545-2020-09-23