J&K court orders release of AAP MLA after 8 months of jail, says ‘PSA appears an unjustified exercise’

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Monday quashed the detention of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Mehraj Din Malik after eight months of jail and termed the administration’s move to invoke Public Safety Act (PSA) as “a shortcut to bypass ordinary criminal law”.

“The invocation of the provisions of the PSA to detain the petitioner rather than to pursue the prosecution against him appears to be an unjustified exercise tantamounting to violation of the fundamental rights of the detenu,” held Justice Mohammad Yousuf Wani, in the 88-page judgment.